Third baseman Alex Bregman, one of the last major free agents remaining, is officially off the market after reportedly agreeing to a three-year deal with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
Could this signing impact the Seattle Mariners? Mike Salk discussed the potential ripple effects Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
“Everyone else we talked about this offseason had already signed, and Bregman was the last big name available,” Salk said. “I don’t think anyone expected him to come to Seattle, but the real question was whether his signing would create trade opportunities—either with the Red Sox or with a team that missed out on him and now wants to pivot.”
Salk highlighted two teams the Mariners have been linked to in trade discussions this offseason: the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, who were also heavily pursuing Bregman. With Boston signing him, they now have an infield surplus, while the Cubs could be reassessing their options after missing out.
Much of the Mariners-Cubs trade speculation has focused on second baseman Nico Hoerner as a potential target for Seattle. However, with Bregman off the table, the Cubs don’t appear to have an excess of infielders. They had already traded third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Astros to clear space for top prospect Matt Shaw.
“I don’t see how the Mariners match up as well with the Cubs now,” Salk noted. “If a deal was going to happen, it probably would have already. Maybe the Cubs had money set aside for Bregman and now want to use it for Luis Castillo, creating a path to acquire Hoerner—but honestly, the value in that kind of deal seems much lower now.”
Salk also pointed out that a trade may no longer make sense for Seattle.
“The whole idea of trading Castillo for Hoerner would have been to save money and use it elsewhere,” he explained. “A few weeks ago, I suggested that could mean signing someone like Pete Alonso. But those options are gone now, so I don’t think a Mariners-Cubs deal for Hoerner makes much sense—unless Chicago is willing to take prospects, which seems unlikely.”
Revisiting a Red Sox-M’s trade idea
The Mariners were previously linked to trade discussions with the Red Sox regarding first baseman Triston Casas this offseason. With Boston signing Alex Bregman, they now have a surplus of corner infielders, as Rafael Devers remains at third base and Casas at first. However, the Red Sox appear to have addressed this by planning to shift Bregman to second base.
Given Bregman’s position change and the Mariners’ lack of a major free-agent target to pursue with any savings from a potential Luis Castillo trade, Salk noted that a deal for Casas would likely only make sense if Boston were seeking prospects. One possible motivation for the Red Sox to do so is their loss of a future draft pick due to Bregman accepting a qualifying offer from the Astros.
“If there were trade talks weeks or even months ago, there’s no reason they couldn’t resume now with the shifting landscape,” Salk said. “But I wouldn’t count on this being the trigger for a deal that brings significant talent to Seattle.”
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