Red Sox camp buzzing with reported Bregman addition

FORT MYERS, Fla. ¨C Though Alex Bregman didn¡¯t appear at the Fenway South complex on Thursday, it felt like he was ever-present.

During the morning workout, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow went over to Field 1 to watch many of the club¡¯s top prospects.

Roughly 20 fans rushed up to him and, generally, had one word to say: ¡°Thanks.¡±

Breslow smiled and posed for some photos, but couldn¡¯t acknowledge the signing of Bregman because Bregman still had to take his physical before the three-year, $120 million contract that includes two opt-outs and also some deferrals is official. (The team officially announced the deal on Saturday morning.)

But the mood had changed all over the complex, especially in the clubhouse.

Be it offensively, defensively or leadership-wise, Bregman will make the Red Sox better.

¡°I'm excited,¡± said Red Sox leadoff man Jarren Duran. ¡°He's a great player, and I know he's a winner. And I love to have that kind of mentality on the team. He¡¯s going to be a good leader for us. That's what I'm excited about."

For a lineup that consists mostly of players still in their 20s, Bregman -- who turns 31 on March 30 -- will bring a career full of postseason experience (not to mention two World Series rings) with him.

Righty Walker Buehler, who is close enough friends with Bregman that they own a horse together (a colt that won at Santa Anita in December) can¡¯t wait to team up with the right-handed hitter.

¡°Ever since I've seen him play, he's been one of the better players on the field, starting at LSU as a freshman. He¡¯s continued that over his [Major League career],¡± said Buehler. ¡°A very confident player, a guy I think will handle Boston well, hopefully. Has played really well at Fenway. Yeah, I¡¯m excited about it.¡±

After an uncharacteristic three-year postseason drought, the Red Sox have placed themselves back on the map of legitimate contenders with a series of additions (Garrett Crochet, Buehler, Aroldis Chapman and Bregman).

¡°The goals are the same [for the team], maybe the [external] expectations change a little bit, but we couldn¡¯t be more fired up to have him joining us here,¡± said Crochet.

Though manager Alex Cora won¡¯t discuss the signing until the move is official, he did speak about Bregman in generalities. And Cora has first-hand experience with Bregman, serving as his bench coach with the 2017 Astros.

¡°As a person, as a kid, he¡¯s someone that I really respect and really like,¡± Cora said. ¡°We went through a lot for a while I was there, so we have a good relationship. He's very similar to Dustin [Pedroia] as far as the baseball rat that he is.¡±

Though Bregman has been a third baseman for most of his career, he could wind up at Pedroia¡¯s old position of second base due to the way Boston's roster is currently aligned. If that winds up being the case, Cora has full confidence Bregman can make a seamless switch to the middle of the diamond.

¡°I never thought that he was going to be a Gold Glove third baseman,¡± Cora said. ¡°I was like, ¡®Man, this kid is going to be good at second.¡¯ It just happened that the guy [Jos¨¦ Altuve] that is playing second base [in Houston], he's going to be a Hall of Famer.¡±

If Bregman does wind up at second, it would eliminate the competition between Vaughn Grissom and top prospect Kristian Campbell (No. 7 overall prospect in MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100) for that spot.

Grissom had selfless emotions when asked about the acquisition of Bregman.

¡°It¡¯s awesome. The front office is doing a great job, ¡° said Grissom. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really change anything for me. I¡¯m just trying to be the best ballplayer I can be and help the team win however I can and [in] whatever role that may be. You never know what can happen.¡±

For a team that leaned heavily into a youth movement in 2024, the Red Sox have supplemented that core nicely with veterans who will help guide the group through a full season. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Bregman joins Trevor Story as co-leaders of the clubhouse.

¡°I think, obviously, he's got the championship pedigree and a lot of success in Houston -- and even at LSU,¡± Buehler said. ¡°So yeah, I think the more you can kind of go through these experiences and play in the playoffs and play in big games, it carries over. And I think both of us, over the past six, seven, eight years, have kind of gotten to experience that and are looking forward to doing that here.¡±