Report: Blue Jays have spoken to Boras about Bregman
The Toronto Blue Jays' front office could have another option should they be unable to land either Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette.
Toronto reached out to agent Scott Boras regarding third baseman Alex Bregman, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
After making a number of moves to enhance the pitching staff, the Blue Jays have turned their attention to landing a middle-of-the-order bat.
Bregman is one of the top remaining hitters on the free-agent market after Bichette and Tucker. The 31-year-old is coming off a strong season with the Boston Red Sox in which he slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs, 28 doubles and 3.5 fWAR in 114 games. His .821 OPS was his highest mark since 2019 when he finished second in AL MVP voting. Bregman did, however, miss extended time with a right quad strain.
Bregman would be an excellent fit in Toronto. He remains an exceptional defender and would give the Blue Jays an elite defensive left side of the infield with Andrés Giménez penciled in at shortstop. Bregman's strong eye (10.3 BB%), and limited strikeouts (14.1 K%) meshes with Toronto's offensive identity.
The defensive flexibility of Ernie Clement and Addison Barger would make a potential Bregman addition a seamless fit. Clement could slide to second base, while Barger could get the majority of his at-bats while playing a corner outfield spot.
Bregman is reportedly also generating interest from the Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chicago Cubs. He signed a three-year, $120-million contract with Boston prior to last season, but opted out of the deal last month. He was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer, so there's no draft-pick compensation needed for the team that eventually signs him.
After signing a short-term deal last winter, Bregman is believed to be seeking a long-term deal in the five-to-six-year range.
Toronto has already agreed to a seven-year, $210-million contract with Dylan Cease, a Boras client, this winter. Boras was extremely complimentary of the Blue Jays organization during Cease's press conference.