Latest Alex Bregman update adds Red Sox foe to mix

The race to sign free agent Alex Bregman added a new team to the mix over the weekend, with the Toronto Blue Jays now among those 'in' on the veteran third baseman, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

“Add the Toronto Blue Jays to the list of teams showing interest in free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman,” Rosenthal wrote this past weekend. “Team officials have been in recent contact with Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, according to sources briefed on the conversations. Ideally, the Jays want to add a left-handed hitter, but either the right-handed Bregman or [Bo] Bichette would fit their defensive alignment better than [Kyle] Tucker or Cody Bellinger, both of whom bat left.”

Toronto's jump into the mix comes less than a week after the Arizona Diamondbacks jumped into the race as a "mystery team." It's also believed that the Red Sox, Cubs, and even the Mets and Tigers are among those who have expressed some level of interest in the 31-year-old Bregman in free agency.

But now the Red Sox have someone in their own backyard of the American League East emerging as a potential suitor for their most impactful righty bat last season.

So, how's that going over in Boston?

Staying with The Athletic's reporting, Jen McCaffrey wrote last week that league sources say the Red Sox still want to add two impact bats, and that the club had remained in contact with Bregman's camp. Since then, the Red Sox have acquired first baseman Willson Contreras from the Cardinals, addressing one of their needs.

And in the immediate aftermath of the Contreras addition, MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported that the Sox "remained engaged" with Bregman. Cotillo did note, however, that the club was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about a reunion.

At this point, Bregman getting what he wants (it's believed he could earn a deal of at least five years and $170 million at this point) seems inevitable. It's just a matter of whether or not the Red Sox will be the team to pony up.

In theory, the Red Sox should be aided by the fact that they cleared the Rafael Devers money off their books a year ago, and the fact that the Cards are paying for a significant amount of the money owed to both Sonny Gray and Contreras.

But given Bregman's age, there seems to be legitimate pause when it comes to the thought of the Red Sox being the team to commit those years to Bregman. Especially when it's something that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has yet to do for any over-30 player in the organization.

Even with that in mind, though, he still may be the best option available to the Red Sox on the open market. Not only have the Red Sox yet to sign an MLB-level free agent this winter (not sure what else they could be saving it for at this point), Bregman is still the cheaper option compared to the likes of Bichette and Tucker.

And perhaps most importantly, at least when it comes to the vision for the future that the Red Sox have pitched to their fans for almost half a decade now, Bregman would not cost the prospects that a trade for the DBacks' Ketel Marte would. And that potential prospect haul out the door for Marte, who is older than Bregman, may very well be something the club can no longer afford to trade away following the trade of Hunter Dobbins and more to St. Louis for Contreras on Sunday night.

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.