Until recently, Pete Alonso felt like a perfect fit for the Red Sox. His profile suited him effortlessly for Boston and its ballpark. However, AL rival Baltimore Orioles outbid the Red Sox with a 5-year, $155 million offer and won the bidding in the Alonso sweepstakes. As one prominent agent said, not about Alonso, but in general, “[The Red Sox] don’t believe in long-term deals.” And holding firm to that mindset might make it harder for them to land Alex Bregman, too.

The last time this team made a big long-term commitment in free agency was in March 2022. They signed Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million deal under Chaim Bloom. Since then, the Red Sox have offered only one contract longer than three years. It was a five-year, $90 million deal for Japanese phenom Masataka Yoshida. Even that one didn’t hit the $100 million mark.

Except for that, the biggest commitment was the three-year, $120 million contract for Alex Bregman in the previous season. However, with two opt-outs, which Bregman was almost certain to use, the deal wasn’t really as long-term as it seemed.

As of now, Boston’s best chances to bring Bregman back could depend on fewer teams being interested in him. Meanwhile, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported that Alex Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, is trying to get the Mariners interested in him.

“Mega agent Scott Boras, representing Alex Bregman, the top free-agent third baseman on the market, has initiated discussions with the Mariners to express Bregman’s willingness to consider Seattle as a destination, an industry source told The Times.”

It’s quite evident that Alex Bregman is not finding the market he’s looking for, as also agreed by insider Tyler Milliken.

Following the winter meetings, the Red Sox couldn’t sign a deal with him yet. But it’s not all on Craig Breslow.

He’s working under John Henry and is limited by the spending threshold that the Red Sox aren’t willing to go beyond. Breslow wants to improve the team. But he can’t make big moves because ownership won’t approve any long-term contract.

On another note, Alex Bregman was reportedly linked to several teams this offseason, including the Chicago Cubs. This time around, many players tend to avoid commenting on potential acquisitions, but Cubs outfielder Ian Happ isn’t one of them.

Why does Ian Happ see Alex Bregman as a perfect fit for the Chicago Cubs?

On The Compound on Marquee Sports Network, Happ shared his thoughts on the possibility of superstar free agent Alex Bregman joining the Cubs. Hypothetically, if that were to happen, Bregman would likely take over third base, a move that could potentially replace rookie Matt Shaw in the lineup.

During the segment, Happ pointed out that many of the Cubs’ young talents are left-handed hitters, including first baseman Michael Busch, catcher Moises Ballesteros, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and outfielder Owen Caissie. Since Alex Bregman bats right-handed, his presence could help the Cubs achieve a good balance in their lineup.

“The fact that those guys are all left-handed, bringing in a right-handed bat helps you a little bit with lineup construction,” Happ noted.

Happ went on to talk about the right-handed hitters in the lineup who hit left-handed pitching well. For example, we’ve got Nico Hoerner, who batted nearly .300 last season and won his second NL Gold Glove at second base. It was worth a mention because Bregman is also known for handling left-handed pitching well.

In a potential lineup featuring Hoerner, Bregman, and another right-handed hitter like shortstop Dansby Swanson, it would certainly give balance for the Cubs’ young left-handed bats.