Red Sox mailbag: Who is a viable alternative to Alex Bregman at third base?

A World Series champion has been crowned all of the option and opt-out decisions have been resolved and the Hot Stove is officially heating up What will the offseason have in store for the Red Sox We answer your questions in in the present day s Red Sox mailbag Related Articles Red Sox shut out of Silver Slugger Awards for second straight year Top Japanese slugger officially coming to MLB could Red Sox be a fit Lucas Giolito not extended qualifying offer by Red Sox Red Sox designate hard-throwing right-hander for assignment Red Sox agree to one-year deal with RHP Cooper Criswell What are the worthwhile third base options if they cannot re-sign Alex Bregman Marcelo Mayer looked good filling in while Bregman was hurt but he is an injury menace nhlefty on Bluesky Mayer would be the top internal candidate He displayed he can play the position at a high level defensively but he is also young and as you disclosed injuries have been an issue for him throughout his professional career If Bregman leaves there aren t several obvious alternatives In terms of free agents the only other third baseman who would meaningfully move the needle is Eugenio Suarez The -year-old hit home runs with RBI and an OPS this past season so he d help bring particular badly needed right-handed power to the lineup but he d also represent a important downgrade defensively from both Bregman and Mayer The arrangement sphere could offer certain more palatable possibilities Philadelphia s Alec Bohm is a former No overall pick who is coming off a respectable season in which he batted with home runs and a OPS He s also projected to earn million in his final year of arbitration this offseason and given how a great number of mouths the Phillies have to feed it wouldn t be a shock to see them move on from the -year-old Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung is another fascinating name who has been floated as a change of scenery candidate Jung is a former top prospect who helped lead the Rangers to the World Series title as a rookie but this past season he did not take the step forward the club hoped he would as a -year-old in his third MLB season Of module the Red Sox could invariably give old friend Chaim Bloom a call as the Cardinals have several infielders they could be looking to move Brendan Donovan is regarded as one of the top infielders likely on the contract realm and would make a great addition for the Red Sox but there s another name who will supposedly draw plenty of discussion this offseason St Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is expected to be on the business block again this offseason AP Photo Erin Hooley I saw a description that Nolan Arenado is now willing to waive his no business clause I personally don t want him but do you think the Sox entertain those conversations Robert D Another year another offseason of Nolan Arenado speculation Before we get into the question of whether the Red Sox would want him a quick refresher The Cardinals are entering a multi-year rebuild and have already begun the process of trading away established veterans in hopes of acquiring controllable young talent St Louis has been trying to pact Arenado as part of those efforts since last winter but to this point they haven t been able to find an acceptable deal A big reason for the hold-up is Arenado s contract but going forward that could be much less of an issue Arenado now has only two years million remaining on the eight-year million deal he originally signed in while still with the Colorado Rockies The million he s due in will likely be close to half of what Bregman is expected to earn annually so if Bregman leaves Arenado could represent a price-efficient alternative who might only cost a mid-level prospect or two to acquire Would that be a path worth taking On one hand Arenado is a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest defensive third baseman in MLB history Any clubhouse would benefit from having a guy with that kind of pedigree and acquiring the -time Gold Glove winner would also mean reuniting him with Trevor Story his close friend and longtime former teammate in Colorado On the other hand Arenado is not the member he once was The -year-old s OPS has declined in each of the past three seasons and he is now coming off the worst offensive season of his career by a sizable margin He batted with home runs RBI and a below-average OPS and his Statcast metrics for both batting and baserunning ranked among the worst in the league across the board He also missed six weeks with a right shoulder strain and his games played were the fewest he s ever played in a non-pandemic season So back to your question Would the Red Sox entertain those conversations I think they would but only if they d already struck out on Plans A B and C Will Breslow be held accountable if neither Bregman nor Rafael Devers are on the roster in and they miss the playoffs Justin H If Bregman is not brought back and the Red Sox miss the playoffs next season I can t imagine that will go over well with Breslow s bosses Obviously the specifics will be vital Do the Red Sox miss the playoffs because of poor performance at third base or because of the offense as a whole Or would it be due to a crucial regression among the club s young pitchers The latter wouldn t have anything to do with Bregman but I believe is both more likely and would reflect much worse on Breslow since pitching improvement is how he made his name and is the reason why this year s club was able to get back to the postseason Either way we have a whole year s worth of baseball to get through before we need to concern ourselves with that What s the sense in putting Breslow on the hot seat because of a bunch of possibilities that haven t happened Washington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore is among the top starting pitchers expected to be available on the deal region this winter AP Photo Colin Hubbard Who do you think makes the majority sense for the Red Sox to target as a starting pitcher deal target As far as profile and cost to obtain and such Jeffrey M Joe Ryan is certainly the name we ve heard linked to the Red Sox preponderance frequently and there are plenty of reasons why he would make sense The Minnesota Twins are in a full rebuild and by trading Ryan they could potentially restock their minor league system with a wealth of young talent Ryan would also be appealing for the Red Sox because he has two years of gang control remaining so if the club were willing to part with a handful of young pitchers it s easy to imagine a deal getting done But what about specific other possibilities Washington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore just enjoyed a breakout in which he was named an All-Star for the first time and struck out batters over innings Like Ryan he also has two years of club control remaining and new Nationals boss Paul Toboni arguably knows the Red Sox minor league system better than anyone from his time as one of Boston s assistant general managers There is also Pittsburgh Pirates righty Mitch Keller who doesn t have the same upside as Ryan or Gore but has posted three straight seasons with more than innings and an ERA in the low range In terms of prospect return the Red Sox would have to give up in a prospective deal last winter s Crochet arrangement is maybe a good comparison Crochet also had two years of gang control remaining at the time and to get him the Red Sox gave up four prospects including their and first-round selections The club has more young big league talent at its disposal than last year along with more pitching depth so a prospective deal this year could include a competitor from four distinct buckets One a controllable big league outfielder like Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu Two a young starter with big league experience like Hunter Dobbins Kyle Harrison Connelly Early or Payton Tolle Three a high-upside pitching prospect like Luis Perales Brandon Clarke or one of the club s top draft picks from last summer Last perhaps a Single-A lottery ticket like Juan Valera or Yhoiker Fajardo both of whom are years from the majors but could help get a deal over the finish line nowadays With all the talk of a lockout entering the season do you think that will affect the Red Sox approach to free agents this offseason Todd C My guess is it won t affect how the Red Sox approach free agency but it might impact how players do If there is concern among free agents that a lockout could be imminent then there supposedly won t be as much of an appetite for one-year deals Players especially veterans like Alex Bregman Pete Alonso or Lucas Giolito who have been free agents before are going to want long-term financial safeguard and the comfort of knowing they won t be left homeless in the sport for months on end while players and owners fight over the next Collective Bargaining Agreement Perhaps there are various who won t have much of a choice but for a guy like former All-Star Zac Gallen who is coming off a rough platform year and whose value will be further depressed by a qualifying offer a high-dollar one-year prove-it deal like the one Walker Buehler signed with Boston last offseason may have had specific appeal Now who knows As far as the Red Sox go they will need to swim in selected deep waters if they hope to make the upgrades that will be necessary to go from a Wild Card club to a championship contender That means big long-term deals for premium free agents and those guys are going to get paid whether there s a lockout next winter or not