There’s a new team in the mix for Alex Bregman

The Alex Bregman market welcomed a new team Tuesday night, with the Arizona Diamondbacks officially joining the mix in pursuit of the veteran slugger.

Word of Arizona's surprising interest in Bregman was reported by both Bob Nightengale of USA Today and the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Arizona's reported interest comes amidst what's been an offseason full of rumors involving the club potentially trading infielder Ketel Marte, who is due $92 million over the next five seasons and in possession of a player option for 2031. Trading Marte would only help the DBacks' financial flexibility to sign Bregman, of course.

But Arizona's pursuit of Bregman obviously causes a bit of difficulty for the Red Sox, who have made it clear that they would like to bring Bregman back but have yet to formally put pen to paper on a new deal. In addition to the Sox and DBacks, it's believed that the Blue Jays, Cubs, Mets, and Tigers are also among those with a serious interest in potentially signing Bregman, who is repped by Scott Boras.

Boras has even done his part to drum up interest beyond the obvious suitors, with the superagent telling the Mariners that Bregman would consider Seattle if they wanted to join the race, according to a report from the Seattle Times.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, remain engaged with Bregman, with Breslow confirming as much during an interview on the MLB Network last week.

"We had a chance to see up close what Alex brought to the field, what he brought to the clubhouse. He emerged as a leader, especially a leader amongst those young players," Breslow said. "His impact on our team was huge. So we obviously remained engaged in conversations but exactly how things will go, we’re not sure."

In action for 114 games this past season, the 31-year-old Bregman posted a .273 average with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs, along with an .821 OPS for the Red Sox.

But his season was truly a tale of two halves, as Bregman struggled mightily upon his return from a significant quad injury, with a .250 average, .386 slugging percentage, and .727 OPS with just seven homers and 27 RBIs in 61 second-half games. Bregman then went 3-for-10 with one RBI in Boston’s three-game wild card round loss to the Yankees to close out his second-half run with the club.

It's been said (and from the Red Sox themselves) all along that the Red Sox wanted to add a middle-of-the-order power bat, and that their offseason plans on that front did include a potential reunion with Bregman following his opt out.

The market has since changed — and not in the way the Red Sox or their fans would have liked given the offseason hype — with players like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso off the board for teams seeking upgrades at that spot.

And that may ultimately push the Red Sox into a spot they don't necessarily love when it comes to keeping Bregman. Particularly from a term point of view, as it's believed that Bregman is seeking a deal of at least five years long.

Most projections have Bregman slated to earn a contract that would set him up with an average annual value of at least $30 million per season. And with a market that's only growing in terms of suitors, that feels automatic at this point.