The Red Sox still have time left to sign a free agent and shed their status as the lone MLB team to not do so this winter. But to find one who can really impact the 2026 roster and beyond, the choices are slim.
To find an infielder who can provide some run production, the Red Sox are essentially down to two choices: Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette.
They’re both veteran infielders and both righthanded hitters. After that, the comparisons pretty much stop.
Here’s a look at how the two compare in a number of areas:
Affordability: It’s impossible to know precisely what either player is seeking, or, for that matter, what they’ll ultimately accept. Both are still trying to maximize their markets.
But going by a number of national media reports, Bregman seems to be in search of a deal of at least five years if not six, with an AAV nearing $30 million. Last year, Bregman’s deal with the Red Sox featured an AAV of $40 million. But that was due to the short-term nature of the deal (three years in length, with opt-outs after each of the first two years). And because so much of the deal was deferred, it had an adjusted AAV of far less.
One of the contractual goals being thrown around is six years for $171 million, which translates into an AAV of $27.5 million. It’s likely the Red Sox have a bigger issue with the length of the deal rather than the salary. They’d be paying Bregman in his age-36 season for the final year of the contract.
Bichette has the advantage of being four years younger – he’ll turn 28 in early March — and as such, is probably in a place where he can demand a longer deal, perhaps one as long as eight years, if not more.
The New York Post reported this week that Bichette is expecting a contract worth $300 million, though that seemingly would be part of an even longer deal.
Having just freed themselves from another long-term contract that was once worth more than $300 milllion (Rafael Devers), it’s hard to imagine that the Sox are interested in tying themselves to another — regardless of the player’s skills.
EDGE: Bregman
DEFENSE: This, clearly, is not much of a contest.
Bregman won a Gold Glove in 2024, the final year of his time in Houston. He wasn’t nominated in 2025, in part because he missed almost a third of the season with a calf injury. When he did play, he was well above-average with one defensive run saved and three outs above average, good enough for fifth among AL third basemen.
The same cannot be said for Bichette, who many teams no longer regard as a usable shortstop. For the Red Sox, Bichette wouldn’t be asked to play short, but instead, shifted to second base. There, presumably, the issues with his lack of range and arm strength would be somewhat mitigated.
Still, the only experience Bichette has at second base in the big leagues came in the World Series, where he was used for a handful of games after missing the first two rounds recovering from a knee injury. It remains an open question whether he could handle the position full-time.
EDGE: Bregman
OFFENSE: Interestingly, though the Red Sox identified the need to hit more homers after last season, neither Bregman nor Bichette is seen as a pure power hitter, but rather, solid offensive performers who feature decent power at times. Bichette has never hit 30 or more homers in a season — he hit a career high of 29 in 2021 while Bregman has twice hit 30 or more (31 in 2018 and 41 in 2019), but hasn’t topped 26 since.
For their career, their slugging percentages are almost identical – Bregman is at .461 and Bichette at .469.
Both are righthanded hitters will the ability to pull the ball in the air, which plays well at Fenway. Bregman is more adept at putting the ball in play, with a career strikeout rate of 13.4 percent, considerably better than Bichette’s 19.4 percent figure which remains below league average.
One thing to note: Bichette was the only qualifying big leaguer from a year ago to hit .300 or better against fastballs, breaking balls and off-speed pitches.
EDGE: Even
DURABILITY: Bregman’s first season with the Red Sox was marred by a calf strain that cost him better than 50 games from May through July. He returned to action ahead of schedule, but was clearly far less than 100 percent the rest of the way and his game reflected that. Post-All Star break, Bregman’s OPS was a disappointing .727.
Bregman had a similar calf injury in 2021, too, which sidelined him for almost three months. Other than that, he hasn’t dealt with much in the way of major injuries over the course of his career.
Bichette, too, dealt with injuries in 2025, missing September with a knee injury, a setback that also kept him out of the Division Series and ALCS.
It’s worth noting, too, that, despite being four years older, Bregman has played in 575 games over the last four seasons while Bichette has played in just 514.
EDGE: Bregman
INTANGIBLES: Bregman is widely acknowledged as one of the game’s best leaders. He also has earned a reputation as a winner, having qualified for the postseason in each of the last nine seasons, including taking part in four World Series.
From the time Bregman joined the Red Sox last February, he immediately set out to influence the team’s culture. He sought out the team’s young players and prospects and made himself available to everyone.
Over the course of the season, he offered observations to hitters and pitchers alike. Even when he was sidelined for two months, he contributed with his daily presence in the dugout and clubhouse. There are few players more studious or more cerebral in the game today.
Even in an era in which almost everything can be quantified, it’s hard to measure what that means to a team over the course of a long season. But the Red Sox, to a man, will tell you that it was significant.
Having already lost Rob Refsnyder, another veteran tone-setter, the Sox would feel Bregman’s absence were he to sign elsewhere.
It’s probably unfair to compare any active player to Bregman in this department, but Bichette has, over time, started to build a somewhat similar reputation.
As a younger player, Bichette was more of a “lead by example,” not yet comfortable with asserting himself given his youth and inexperience. Over time, he’s become more vocal and assertive.
Teammates praise the infielder for his innate competitiveness and focus on winning. He holds himself accountable — both to teammates and publicly – and his work ethic is lauded.
EDGE: Bregman
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One of the remaining questions as spring training draws nearer on the horizon: What will the Red Sox do with Masataka Yoshida?
Yoshida has two years and $36 million remaining on a contract that he signed with the Red Sox in December of 2023 for five years and $90 million — plus posting fees.
To date, Yoshida’s performance has been, to put it mildly, underwhelming. His first season, 2023, was his most productive with 15 homers and 72 RBI), but both 2024 and last season were compromised by injuries.
Had the Red Sox traded Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu this past offseason, the Sox would be in position to give Yoshida one more try as the team’s full-time DH. They could contend that he’ll be fully healthy for the first time in years and, with a normal off-season, might be poised to finally provide some return on their investment.
But the Sox have, to date, held onto all four outfielders and it appears that will be the case on Opening Day.
All four outfielders — Duran, Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony — are considered everyday players, so it’s logical to assume that the team will rotate several of them through the DH slot. Such an approach will fit squarely with Craig Breslow’s philosophy, who believes in roster flexibility and generally favors a job-share for the DH rather that committing to a single player.
But if that’s going to be the case — and remember, two of the four outfielders were Gold Glove winners last fall — then where does that leave Yoshida?
For now, it would seem he’d be limited to the occasional DH start and some pinch-hitting opportunities.
An outright release would seem to be a longshot. Yes, the Red Sox have eaten more money on some past deals. Notably, they walked away from third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who was owed $48 million when the Red Sox granted him his outright release in July of 2017.
But the Red Sox were far less cost-conscious at the time, and it’s hard to imagine them executing a similar move with Yoshida.
Were they to trade him, it would almost certainly require them to take back a sizable portion of the remaining money – “more than half, I’d say,’’ estimated an official with another club — to facilitate a deal.
The other option? The Red Sox could perhaps foist a bigger portion of the remaining salary on a trade partner, but that would require the Sox to include a strong prospect in the deal. Given that the Red Sox have already made a handful of trades this winter, each one including prospects, it’s doubtful they would want to thin their inventory much more.
For now, then, it appears that Yoshida will remain an overpaid extra – one with limited defensive versatility or value.
