Red Sox not among top candidates for reported $200 million free agent target

The Boston Red Sox are known to be looking for top right-handed hitters this winter. But is it worth crossing a free agent off the list?

After an 81-81 season, the Red Sox have a lot to offer, but it’s abundantly clear that the lineup needs more right-handed hitting. And what makes matters worse is that Tyler O’Neill, the team’s home run leader and best right-handed hitter last season, is in danger of leaving in free agency.

Insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested an unorthodox solution in September: acquiring Houston Astros superstar Alex Bregman, moving Rafael Devers to first base and possibly trading young star first baseman Triston Casas.

It was a radical idea, and Rosenthal doesn’t usually pull ideas and rumors out of thin air. But not everyone agrees that Bregman and the Red Sox are a good fit.

On Saturday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed the seven best fits on the open market for Bregman, who turns 31 next season. And the Red Sox were not one of those seven teams.

The Astros, the only team Bregman ever knew, were Kelly’s top destination for the 30-year-old slugger. And the Red Sox’s nemesis, the New York Yankees, were fifth on the list.

There are a few obvious reasons why Bregman and the Red Sox might not be a good fit, and the fact that Boston currently has Devers playing third base is one of them. The other is that Bregman, a client of Scott Boras, is seeking a $200 million contract, which is a tough pill to swallow for a team that pays Devers over $30 million per season.

That’s just one writer’s opinion, and Boston could still get in on the Bregman sweepstakes, especially if the market appears less robust than he and Boras initially expected. But if anyone was hoping for momentum toward a Red Sox-Bregman partnership soon, it doesn’t appear to be gaining traction.

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