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NL playoff contender reportedly showing ‘renewed interest’ in Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman
Bregman became a free agent in November.
The latest on Alex Bregman: A new possible suitor for Red Sox star third baseman Alex Bregman has emerged.
The Cubs have “shown a renewed interest” in pursuing Bregman as they expected to star outfielder Kyle Tucker in free agency this offseason, The Athletic‘s Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma reported.
Chicago was among the handful of teams in the running to sign Bregman last offseason before he wound up signing with Boston in February. In fact, the Cubs actually offered Bregman a somewhat similar deal that he received from the Red Sox. Chicago reportedly offered Bregman a four-year, $115 million deal with player options following the second and third seasons.
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Bregman wound up signing a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox that included player options following each of the first two seasons. He decided to opt out of his contract ahead of the start of free agency in November.
The Cubs are one of the first teams besides the Red Sox to have reported interest in signing Bregman this offseason. The Tigers have been commonly speculated as a possible landing spot for Bregman. Detroit reportedly offered Bregman a six-year, $171.5 million contract with deferred money last offseason.
The Phillies and Mets have also been speculated to be possible suitors for Bregman this offseason. Both ballclubs could also lose a top bat in free agency this offseason, with Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and New York first baseman Pete Alonso each hitting the open market. Boston has been linked to both free agents as well.
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Of course, the Red Sox have been viewed as one of the frontrunners in the Bregman sweepstakes as well. The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman recently reported that of the potential free-agent hitters the Red Sox are pursuing, Bregman is still the top fit for Boston.
As for Bregman’s possible fit with the Cubs, they could have to juggle their infield around in order to make it work. Matt Shaw had a relatively impressive rookie season at third base for a team that made the postseason and was named a Gold Glove finalist.
Bregman was arguably the Red Sox’ best hitter in 2025. He hit .273 with a .821 OPS, 18 homers, and 62 RBIs in 114 games, replacing Rafael Devers at third base. Bregman, who’ll turn 32 in March, had some struggles down the stretch of the season, though. He hit .187 in the final 27 games of the regular season, adding two home runs with a .581 OPS in that stretch after battling a quad injury earlier in the season.
Trivia:
Which former Red Sox catcher hit a pivotal home run in the Cubs’ Game 7 win over Cleveland in the 2016 World Series?
Answer below.
(Hint: He also won a World Series in Boston)
Scores and schedules:
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The Celtics picked up their largest victory of the season on Thursday. They defeated the Wizards, 146-101, with Jaylen Brown sitting out due to an illness. The Celtics are back in action Friday, hosting the Lakers at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Bruins also picked up a win on Thursday. They defeated the Blue, 5-2, behind a two-goal performance from Pavel Zacha. The Bruins will play again on Saturday, when they host the Devils at 7 p.m.
Finally, the Patriots are off this weekend as they’re one of the last four teams in the NFL to have their bye week. They’ll host the Bills a week from Sunday, where they can clinch their first AFC East title in six years.
Read more from Boston.com:
- Red Sox trade for Pirates pitcher Johan Oviedo in 5-player deal
- Red Sox reportedly have ‘big interest’ in signing Japanese infielder
- Jim Montgomery reflects on his up-and-down tenure as Bruins head coach
- Zacha scores twice, Korpisalo makes 37 saves in Bruins’ 5-2 win over Blues
- Tom Brady moves Patriots into the top spot of his NFL power rankings
- White scores 30 points, Celtics send Wizards to worst loss of season with 146-101 rout
- Patriots’ TreVeyon Henderson named NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month
Jayson Tatum visits the Ravens
With the Celtics in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Jayson Tatum decided to make a quick stop in Baltimore. The Ravens hosted the Celtics star at their facility as Tatum appeared to take in practice.
Roman Anthony likes Sonny Gray’s anti-Yankees sentiment
New Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray won over fans earlier this week when he told reporters that he now gets to hate the Yankees following his trade to Boston. That quote was music to Roman Anthony’s ears.
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“I’m excited to have him,” Anthony told SNY. “He seems like a competitor, ready to play in Boston and take on the fans in Boston. Obviously, he’s done it in a big market before. It’ll be exciting to have him and learn from him as a young guy.”
On this day
Twenty-one years ago on Friday, the Patriots decisively defeated the Browns, 42-15, to improve to 11-1 in the 2004 season. While Corey Dillon ran for 100 yards and two scores that day, Bethel Johnson’s kickoff return touchdown to open up the game and Randall Gay’s fumble return touchdown were the highlights from the game. Oh, and Troy Brown got an interception.
Daily highlight
LeBron James’s streak of consecutive games with at least 10 points snapped at 1,297 games on Thursday. But James still helped the Lakers defeat the Raptors. He assisted Rui Hachimura’s game-winning basket at the buzzer, sending the Lakers into Friday night’s matchup against the Celtics fresh off a win.
Trivia answer: David Ross
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