The Boston Red Sox have been struggling out of the gate this year. Even after Monday afternoon’s win over the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox own a 9-13 record and sit tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for last place in the American League East.
One of the biggest mistakes they made during the offseason was failing to re-sign third baseman Alex Bregman, especially after trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. They acquired Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers, but that hasn’t exactly worked out in their favor so far.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed the Red Sox as a team that already has a clear need heading into trade season, with third base being the top priority following their miss on Bregman.
“An offseason deal to acquire Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers seemed to give the Red Sox their third baseman of the present and future following Alex Bregman’s departure in free agency,” Reuter wrote.
“However, the 26-year-old is off to an ugly start at the plate, hitting .141/.236/.203 over 72 plate appearances. Those numbers are backed by some of the worst batted-ball metrics of any qualified hitter, providing little optimism for a quick turnaround.
“They could shift Marcelo Mayer to third base and recall former top prospect Kristian Campbell to handle second base, but he’s off to a lackluster start himself at Triple-A, opening the door for a potential outside addition this summer.”
Red Sox Made Crucial Alex Bregman Mistake
As a whole, Red Sox third basemen are hitting .153/.247/.208 with no home runs, six RBI and just four extra-base hits in 81 plate appearances. While Bregman himself isn’t off to the best start with the Chicago Cubs, it certainly would be better to have him patrolling third base than to have a struggling Durbin.
Boston had to give up a lot of pitching prospects in order to make the Durbin deal happen, and though Durbin had a strong year in 2025 with Milwaukee, he was never going to replicate the production of Bregman.
And so, the Red Sox are certainly feeling the effects of their mistake with Bregman. Not having his presence in the lineup creates a big hole and takes a big power presence away. If they do go out and try to acquire a third baseman before the trade deadline, they would be smart to make sure that it’s a third baseman that can hit for a lot of power.
Red Sox Missing Power Presence in Lineup
Without Bregman, the Red Sox offense appears to be somewhat lost. They have scored just 89 runs, which is better than only the Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals in the American League.
The Red Sox have a strong farm system and can pull off a trade for a power-hitting third baseman, but they might want to do it sooner rather than later to avoid falling out of contention before the deadline.
It will be interesting to see if they continue to feel the effects of Bregman’s departure later on in the season.
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