Earlier this month, Alex Bregman was awarded a Gold Glove for his defense at third base. He has been an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and a World Series champion, but this was the first Gold Glove of his nine-year career. The honor was well deserved. According to Baseball Savant, Bregman set new career highs in Outs Above Average (OAA) and Fielding Run Value (FRV). The metrics at FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus agree he was the most valuable defensive third baseman in the American League. Yet, Bregman’s agent Scott Boras revealed at the GM meetings this week that multiple teams have asked about his client’s willingness to move to second base – and Boras confirmed that Bregman would indeed be willing to make the change (per Bob Nightengale of USA Today).
It’s not necessarily surprising that Bregman would be amenable to switching positions. Extra versatility will only make him more appealing as a free agent. The more suitors he can attract, the more money he can command. Similar reports came out this week about fellow top free agent Willy Adames, a talented shortstop who would be willing to move to second or third base on the right deal. Moreover, it’s not as if Bregman would be completely new to the keystone. He played a handful of games at second base in each of his first three MLB seasons. He also has plenty of experience at shortstop from college and his early professional years.
What is slightly more surprising is the fact that teams would be interested in Bregman playing second base in the first place. He’s a good enough hitter that his bat could play anywhere around the diamond, but he is an experienced third baseman coming off the best defensive season of his career. It’s hard to imagine his glove would be quite as valuable at a new position – nor would his bat necessarily play any better at second base. Historically, second base has been a weaker offensive position than third, but the gap has nearly disappeared over the last two years. From 2023-24, second basemen have produced a .308 wOBA. Third baseman have put up a .309 wOBA in that time. Finally, there is more competition on the free agent market at second base than third. Adames and Ha-Seong Kim can play both positions, but each has more big league experience at second. In addition, two of MLBTR’s top 50 free agents are primary second basemen: Gleyber Torres and Hyeseong Kim. Bregman is the only primary third baseman on our top 50 list.
On the other hand, Bregman has never had a good arm for a third baseman. What’s more, it’s quite possible he would have been a second baseman all along if it weren’t for Jose Altuve blocking the position in Houston. Considering Bregman’s arm looked weaker than usual in 2024 (and that he just had surgery on his throwing elbow), perhaps some of his suitors think he’ll be a better defender at second base in the long run. Alternatively, they might just be hedging their bets in case his elbow problems linger into next season.
Regardless, Bregman continues to be most strongly linked to Houston this offseason. GM Dana Brown told reporters (including Jon Heyman of the New York Post) at the GM Meetings that he thinks the Astros have “a really good chance” of re-signing their homegrown star. In that case, there is no doubt he would resume his duties at the hot corner in 2025. Altuve is coming off another All-Star season at second, and the face of the Astros franchise is under contract for another five years and $125 million.
Not now that he won a GG at 3B… definitely in the future.
He got the GG this year, because Chapman moved to the NL. His performance was always overshadowed, and was blocked by Chapman.
I know the Tigers have some good young infielders, but I’m sure AJ Hinch would love to have Bregman on his roster again. The question is: Will Tigers ownership take on a big salary? An experienced, middle of the lineup would help Detroit out a lot…
He is trending down and anything beyond 2 year offer from the Tigers is a resounding no in my book. Someone giving him a 6 year deal is lunacy.
He is getting more than Matt Chapman so I guess the whole league is lunacy.
More likely we see the Tigers spend now that Trump has been re-elected. This will open up payroll for most teams.
“Boras confirmed that Bregman would indeed be willing to make the change [to second base]”
Which in Borasese translates as “Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets, please make us an offer.”
Not Yankees, we have Jazz. Bregman would stay at 3B if we signed him (which we won’t because of trash cans).
The Yankees signing Bregman and trading for Josh Naylor to fill our there infield would be very funny
Not the Sox, either. They have David Hamilton and Vaughn (the next Pedroia) Grissom.
Dipoto gets aroused, only to realize that all along, his arousal was due to John Stanton’s frugality. Although, Dipoto did apologize for Frazier, Wong and Polanco, and promised that this year would be different. This year he’d get a proven 2nd baseman via trade!…
Brandon Lowe of the Rays would make sense. One year at ~$10MM is fairly reasonable.
Bregman’s gonna linger a long time this year, and his reps know it. That’s why he’s talking about being flexible. Teams are pretty wise to giving long, huge contracts to position players who are already in their 30’s, and half the league or more isn’t gonna participate in the FA market at a high level because of money problems.
Right now he’s still excellent — more than excellent — but his last three years in fWAR: 5.4, 4.5, 4.1. Right on schedule, he’s on his way down. No one’s gonna give him more than a 5 year deal and I think he’s shooting for more than that.
It’s Boras. He’s going to 6+ years.
His floor is already set, Chapman got 6 years and 150 million, Bregman is a year younger and a more consistent better hitter. He’ll probably end up around 6 175 for the free agent inflation
I have it from anonymous sources that I trust that the Astros have already offered him 6 / $156M.
Of course he and Boras are hoping for more years and a higher guarantee so they won’t accept that.
In the end I think he returns to Houston on a deal for 7 yrs and between $180-200M after competition drives up the offer.
If he gets an 8 yr and/or $200M+ offer he isn’t returning.
Please, Mariners spend some money.
Why does this surprise you, Leo? Another reason you failed to mention is maybe the teams that are asking him to switch already have a 3rd baseman but they like Bregman’s bat and leadership enough to warrant trying to sign him at a different position.
Perfect fit for the Jays, but they’ll definitely go with something like Kikuchi, O’Neill and some meh bullpen arms
“have asked about his client’s willingness to move to second base – and Boras confirmed that Bregman would indeed be willing to make the change”
Suitors asked.
He has suitors per his agent.
Certainly not the Tigers asking about that.
Good. The Tigers need to save their money to hire…..
The Superfife!
Atlanta can move Albies to SS
I would think the preference would be to keep Oz at 2B and slap Bregs at SS (if ATL signed him)
Willing to cheat also if necessary
I love how quickly the media and fans write beautiful stories about and welcome the 2017-2019 Astros players with open arms once they become free agents. Springer, Correa, Gurriel, Marwin, Teoscar, Tony Kemp, Myles Straw and now Bregman all seem to be portrayed as lovely guys who will make your team and city better. Pitchers don’t count because I don’t see how they can cheat unless they were also acting out that Todd Rundgren song all season.
All those players you mentioned will probably end up on the Angels one day.
They are desperate to return to the postseason by any means necessary, and that crews already has the means as long as there is a Home Depot nearby.
Twins fan here. I only give Correa the golf clap, and don’t get me started on Marwin
Because most of us have moved past it. Just like with PEDs and spidertack. If I couldn’t, I’ll stop watching the sport instead of complaining about the Black Sox scandal.
Does anyone know why Jim Edmonds made so many appearances at 1b while he was winning so many gold gloves in CF?
It just seems to me that if you have a GG winning CF, putting him at 1b seems like a mistake as he should be better defensively than the 3 OFers you have out there.
Maybe Jim Edmonds’ managers didn’t think he was that good of a defensive outfielder.
@truthlemonade
Overall, he had a -6 DRS for his career and that is CF. His managers were smart to want to keep him a 1B. Shouldn’t have won a GG, but I don’t view GGs are that important. I prefer the Fielding Bible.
Gold Glove awards are voted on by the dinosaurs in baseball that think diving for the ball is a tremendous defensive play where in reality it just means the defender has poor range and speed and got lucky.
GG is voted on by managers & coaches who can’t vote for their own players. It’s a popularity contest made up of highlight reel plays (routine outs for players with better range), lack of errors (low range players – and guys like Rafael Palmiero who DH’ed more than he played in the field make less of them), lazy picks (voting for the guy who always wins) and they probably don’t know now (and definitely didn’t know when Edmonds played) what DRS even is.
I think it was back pain/load management, lemonade!
Scott Boras is doing a good job of selling Bregman to teams, gotta justify the hefty price tag he no doubt is throwing out in early talks.
6/162 is my prediction. 27 million USA credits a year.
If I’m a team, I’d be kicking the tires on him and ask if he could pitch, even a few innings out of the pen. Need more Shohei’s in baseball and less 1 dimensional guys. If I’m spending $300M on a guy, he better do more than hit the ball and catch a few balls in the field. Be an all-round player.
His bat plays at 2B or 3B of LF or 1B….
Sick of reading this stuff.
MLB is now rotisserie league?
If a position player can hit, he hits. If he can’t play a position he
DH’s. Most players have natural positions. It’s best they play there unless they get too old and have to move off it. If SS’s and C’s are exceptionally good defensively that can play and help their teams
win even if they can’t hit. Been that way for over a century.
“His bat plays…”. Bunch of gibberish by amateurs that take themselves too seriously.
Honestly, it seems as if you agree with the concept of “His bat plays.”
You correctly claim that teams will tolerate a bad hitter if he is exceptionally good defensively at either SS or C. Austin Hedges is a terrible hitter, but so good at C that teams are willing to sign him. If he wanted to move to 1b, he would be out of the league.
Alex Bregman could say, “I only want to play DH and never play defense,” and still get a multi year contract, albeit for much less money. He would never say this.
Francisco Cervelli was a catcher who hit league average (which is actually good for a catcher) who got hurt and said “I never want to catch again,” and he quickly backtracked on that as he realized that no team would accept him not as a catcher as his bat didn’t play elsewhere.
Jake Cronenworth was a reserve All Star at 2b in 2021 an 2022. In the past two seasons, he was moved to play more 1b and less 2b, and his hitting happened to get worse. His worse hitting would be a lot easier to accept if he was still playing 2b regularly. You know this.
I don’t get why teams are willing to invest many millions of dollars on a question mark. Alex Bregman at third base is a proven commodity. Alex Bregman at second base is a question mark. Yeah, he could be fine, but he could also be a disaster. If you are investing that much, it should be for the proven commodity.
I’d be willing to switch to 2B too for $150 million.
Mets could sure use a 2B. But somehow he’ll end up a Dodger like every single other high-priced free agent because MLB is so broken.
He’s increasing his market.
SF Giants need a 2B and power. So could many other teams, not to mention 3B. This could push Bregman’s salary over $200M. Dusty Baker is a special assistant with the Giants now and he could play a pivotal role, along with Posey in convincing Bregman to play the keystone in SF; that and a big fat check.
Seattle could definitely be in play if they open their wallet. It’s a very affluent area but for whatever reason ownership runs the team like it’s a small market team.