It’s now desperation time for the Boston Red Sox to sign free agent two-time All-Star infielder Bo Bichette.
The Red Sox, who last year finished third in the AL East Division, five games back of the Toronto Blue Jays, received a monumental blow on Saturday, January 10th when it was made official that three-time All-Star free agent infielder Alex Bregman agreed with the Chicago Cubs to a five-year $175 million-dollar contract.
Boston Red Sox lose Bregman to free agency, should pivot to Bichette
Bregman, who will turn 32 years-old when the season starts, is coming off a productive but injury prone season which saw the veteran play only 114 games due to a quad injury but still managed to hit for a .273 batting average with 118 hits, 28 doubles, 64 runs scored, 18 home runs along with 62 RBI’s.
This two-time World Series winner, who spent the first nine years of his career playing for the Houston Astros before playing his one and only only season for the Red Sox, provided Boston last year with the power hitter they needed along with playing solid defence at third base.
Knowing the importance of Bregman’s bat and leadership. the Red Sox looked to re-sign him by offering a five-year contract with a no-trade clause which was turned down.
Bichette, who has played his entire seven-year career with the Blue Jays, is only 27 years-old and is hands down the best infielder available on the free agent market.
During his career, Bichette is not only a two-time All-Star (2021, 2023), but has also led the AL during the 2021 and 2022 season in hits.
Last season Bichette was injured during a September double header at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees but still had a solid season which in 146 games saw him produce 181 hits, 78 runs, 44 doubles, 1 triple, 18 home runs, 94 RBI’s and 4 stolen bases.
Bichette makes things happen on offense, is solid defensively and would more than make-up for the tremendous loss of Bregman’s bat in the line up while providing solid defence in the field.
Signing Bichette could make the difference between competing for a playoff spot and perhaps grabbing a wild card position to finishing way out of a playoff spot.
Bichette talking to Philadelphia Phillies
The defending NL East Champions Philadelphia Phillies lethal offence may soon get a big boost as they have been aggressively pursuing Bichette.
Recently, Bichette expressed his willingness to make that move from 2nd base to shortstop.
Bichette and the Phillies had a meeting on January 12th and according to media reports it was extremely positive.
A big selling point for Philadelphia is that newly hired bench coach Don Mattingly has a close relationship with Bichette dating back to the past two years with Toronto when he was a bench coach.
During last October’s World Series, Bichette, came back after being out for seven weeks and proved he was healthy as he hit ..348 with 8 hits, 1 home run, 6 RBI’s and 2 runs scored in as all baseball fans know was a heartbreaking seven game loss against the back-to-back World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers.
Red Sox best option if they can’t sign Bichette
If the Red Sox can’t sign Bichette, there best option would probably be to sign 34 year-old free agent third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
Suarez is a right handed power hitter who despite some inconsistency still managed to hit last year an impressive 49 homeruns while producing 118 RBI’s but hitting only for a .228 average.
He will definitely give the Red Sox offence a huge lift. Defensively, let’s just say this slugger will never be in the gold glove conversation.
Back on July 31, 2025, at the MLB trade deadline, Suarez was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Seattle Mariners where he ended up hitting only .189 the rest of the way with 13 home runs along with 31 RBI’s, 39 hits and 27 runs.
So far this off-season the Mariners have shown interest in bringing him back while the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels have also been in contact.
Suarez is definitely a talented player, but the player Boston should aggressively target is Bichette who despite being seven years younger that Suarez also gives the Red Sox that right-handed bat it needs.
However, Bichette is seeking a deal worth an astonishing 300 million. Time will tell what the Red Sox management will do.
Main Image: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
