Red Sox reportedly target $189M star as potential Alex Bregman replacement

The Boston Red Sox are backed into a bit of a corner right now.

Their division, the American League East, was seemingly the best in baseball last season, and it’s only getting better. The Baltimore Orioles have added Pete Alonso, while the Toronto Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease.

The Red Sox have made some small moves, but they need to turn up the aggression in free agency if they want a real chance at winning the division title next season.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on Friday that the Red Sox were targeting Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette in free agency after the winter meetings.

“The Red Sox also remain interested in high-priced free agent Bo Bichette and versatile infielder Jorge Polanco, sources said late Thursday,” Cotillo wrote. “Japanese corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto is also a potential fit.”

Bichette makes a lot of sense for the Red Sox for a few reasons.

First of all, they need to re-sign or replace Alex Bregman. The Red Sox are reportedly still in on Bregman, but there’s a chance they whiff on him like they did Alonso and Kyle Schwarber. Bichette is younger and will likely produce for longer than Bregman will.

Adding Bichette on a six or seven-year deal and stealing him from a division rival would be a sweet offseason victory for the Red Sox. Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects Bichette to sign a massive $189 million deal this winter, so the move wouldn’t be cheap for Boston. Still, it would be worth it in the long run.

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