The Kansas City Royals struggled to find offense this season, but third base was one of their strongest positions.
Maikel Garcia, the 25-year-old breakout All-Star, put up a five-WAR campaign as the Royals’ primary third baseman. But because Garcia can play second base or even the outfield in a pinch, it appears the Royals have designs on pursuing another All-Star at the hot corner.
That All-Star? Boston Red Sox veteran Alex Bregman, who appears set to opt out of the last two years of his deal and hit the open market for the second winter in a row.
On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the celebrity.land reported that Bregman was planning to opt out, and also mentioned that the Royals could be involved in the sweepstakes. Bregman, who will be 32 next year, inked a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox in February.
“Boston still seems like a logical fit,” Heyman wrote. “(But) there could be some surprise teams.”
“Word is the Royals, who’ve become a decent spender for a small-market club, seek extra offense and could be one. Maikel Garcia was a revelation at 3B for them this year, but he’s seen as versatile enough to move to the outfield or (second base).”
Obviously, signing Bregman would be a massive deal for the Royals. In his nine-year career, he’s never missed the playoffs, and he won two World Series titles with the Houston Astros. He was very good for most of this season in Boston, though he slumped down the stretch and finished with an .821 OPS in 114 games.
The Royals fielded a $136 million payroll this season, which ranked 18th in baseball, according to Spotrac. That was up about $11 million from the 2024 season, so with very little money coming off the books this winter, Kansas City would have to be prepared to add quite a bit more to shoulder the kind of deal Bregman will eventually sign.
As the offseason progresses, we’ll see whether the Royals’ interest in Bregman results in an all-out pursuit, and even perhaps a signing. But the early indication that big-name free-agent pursuits are on the table is encouraging to see for Kansas City fans.
More MLB: Yankees Star Generating Buzz As Free-Agent Fit For Royals
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com ’
