The New York Yankees are reportedly expected to “full court press” star third baseman Alex Bregman, who is currently a free agent and may no longer have an incumbent team passionately chasing his services. The Kyle Tucker trade has fractured the infield market in a way that most didn’t expect; Nico Hoerner went from a trade chip to a need with Isaac Paredes headed to Houston, who may not want to pay a premium for Bregman with a third baseman on the roster. Even the other candidates including the Red Sox, Tigers, and Mets have various reasons they may not pursue him.
Boston has an internal divide over whether they want to pay the All-Star, the Tigers haven’t been able to hang with the top spenders in recent years, and the Mets have avoided chasing players with the Qualifying Offer attached to them in the hopes of rebuilding their farm system. While they made an exception for Juan Soto, one could imagine why Bregman may not be viewed as the same must-have player. With a market that’s potentially drying up, should the Yankees swoop in and swipe a star from one of their AL foes?
How Does Alex Bregman Fit Into the Yankees’ Offense and Ballpark?
Last season was another strong year for Alex Bregman, who posted a 118 wRC+ and 4.1 fWAR despite a terrible start. He didn’t hit his first home run of the season until April 30th and had a 56 wRC+ on the season through his first 37 games, as his power seemingly vanished out of nowhere. He was slugging an unfathomable .264, but a two-homer game would spark a stretch where he’d look like the star infielder we’ve become familiar with over the last decade.
Bregman turned the power on, smashing 25 home runs in just 108 games with a 139 wRC+, a change that came about as a result of a swing change on May 13th. In fact, he pulled over on the side of the road to record himself discussing the changes made to how he directs the knob of his bat, and while those finer mechanical tweaks are harder to capture in film, we do have bat tracking data that shows improvements in swing speed that may have helped him crush the ball consistently.
It wasn’t a matter of just benefitting from the short left field in Dailko Field (terrible name change), Alex Bregman would have hit 25 home runs if he played all 145 of his games at Yankee Stadium, a ballpark that many feel would do him harm. The improvement in swing speed led to an improvement in quality of contact, allowing for the star infielder to hit more than 25 home runs in a season for the first time since his incredible 2019 season.
The Yankees need offense; without Juan Soto, their offense is heavily reliant on Aaron Judge remaining historically dominant, which as he gets older becomes less and less certain. If Bregman’s bat speed improvements can hold up in the short term, he could hit 25-30 home runs with his signature high average and solid plate skills, which work perfectly in the middle of a lineup where he can drive runners in.
A concern that is valid to bring up regarding Alex Bregman is his Chase Rate, which went from 18.6% in 2023 to 23.6% in 2024. My theory is that his increased contact rate on pitches out of the zone coupled with his first-pitch swing rates increasing led to a decrease in walks since he makes so much contact that he’ll likely put a ball in play on most swing attempts.
Considering Bregman had a .307 wOBA and .347 xwOBA on first-pitch swings, both below the MLB average, he should probably take more first pitches. That being said, if his walk rate settles around 8-9% but his ISO continues to push the .200 range, it’s a sacrifice worth making as it would lead to higher OPS totals and more runs driven in. That being said, the Yankees aren’t just looking at Bregman’s bat, they’re also after the glove that he brings to the table.
READ MORE: Yankees can opt to acquire elite power or balance in the outfield
Alex Bregman posted +6 Outs Above Average last season at third base, being one of the best defensive third basemen in the sport and consistently providing a strong glove at the hot corner. While his sprint speeds have declined, Bregman’s remained a brilliant athlete who displays both range and arm talent that the Yankees would love to have. The additions of Max Fried and Devin Williams emphasize a shift towards run prevention, and if they want to successfully run low ERA numbers they need a strong defensive infield.
Jazz Chisholm would shift over to second base in this scenario, where he’s been a remarkable defender in his career as he has +7 DRS and +8 OAA in 1,330.1 innings. His speed and range bode well for second base, a position that has become even more important defensively since shift bans have made range a more desirable tool. With Bregman playing next to Anthony Volpe in this hypothetical, the Yankees’ need for a speedy third baseman with range isn’t as great.
Depending on how the team addresses first base, they’ll be able to rock an infield with three Gold Glove candidates, and that’s something that can directly impact the pitching staff. Max Fried is reliant on groundballs in order to convert outs, and it would place a lot less pressure on the other four starters in the rotation if the infield could consistently gift them outs that last year they wouldn’t have had.
It doesn’t take a genius to explain to you that Alex Bregman is better than what the Yankees have in-house, but his fit in the Bronx is better than most people give it credit for. The infield market is barren, there aren’t many defensively-sound players with big bats, and Bregman brings a two-way profile that the Yankees need. How much they need it hinges on the price they would have to pay to acquire the star infielder’s services.
With Scott Boras as his agent, Alex Bregman is going to chase top dollar in all likelihood. The Astros have offered him a six-year $156 million deal, but since he hasn’t signed one would assume that he isn’t settling at that number. The rumored price tag is closer to $200 million, and the Yankees might be able to get closer than Houston in a deal that would be mutually beneficial.
A seven-year $175 million deal would keep the AAV at $25 million while giving him nearly $20 million more than the Astros did, which could be enough to pry him from their hated rivals. It’s a risk; one I wouldn’t feel completely comfortable offering without surveying the trade market, but one that I would make instead of not addressing 2B/3B altogether.
The Yankees are in a win-now window, one that has its end well in sight. Aaron Judge turns 33 in April, Gerrit Cole turns 35 next September, and Giancarlo Stanton is entering his age-35 season. If your goal is to win the World Series with this group, 2025 may be your best and final chance to do so in an American League that hasn’t produced a top-flight contender thus far.
Furthermore, it would keep him away from a team like the Red Sox or Tigers, who might be a Bregman away from being on the same level as the Yankees. I don’t envy Brian Cashman’s position here; Scott Boras is a master negotiator who can fool even the brightest minds into paying his price, but there may not be a better fit for this infield than someone like Alex Bregman, who would allow the Yankees to focus their efforts on first base and the outfield.