Should the Mets pursue star infielder in free agency?

It was announced earlier this week by Jon Heyman of the New York Post that Alex Bregman is expected to opt out of the three-year, $120 million deal he signed with the Boston Red Sox in February 2025, right before the start of spring training.

This reported decision by Bregman was not surprising. Not only his deal with Boston had an opt-out after the first year, but he put together a great first season on his new team.

In 114 games, the 31-year-old batted .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs, 62 RBI and an OPS of .822. Bregman was also selected to his third career All-Star Game, but was replaced by Junior Caminero due to being on the injured list at the time with a right quad strain.

Bregman has had a very impressive career with the bat. Across his 10 big league seasons thus far (nine with the Houston Astros, one with the Red Sox), he has slugged 209 home runs, driven in 725 runs, and logged a .846 OPS. Bregman also won the Silver Slugger Award in 2019, while finishing second in AL MVP voting.

His offense hasn't been the only thing that has helped him solidify himself as one of the league's best third basemen. Bregman's defense has also been elite, as he won his first Gold Glove in 2024; this is something teams across the league will surely consider if they opt to pursue him this offseason.

It goes without saying that the Mets' defense was pretty poor this past year; the infield in particular combined for a total of 39 errors , with Baty and Vientos combining for 16 of those errors. President of baseball operations David Stearns has also clearly stated his desire to address those issues.

Baty may have established himself as the team's starting third baseman moving forward, thanks to his career season. But with Bregman hitting the open market, bringing a great bat and solid glove to the table, he could be a really nice addition to not only the Mets' lineup but to an infield that struggled last year on defense.

Pursuing Bregman also may not necessarily prevent Baty from playing, as the 25-year-old had also taken reps at second base when Jeff McNeil was injured.