Blue Jays could pivot to stealing rival's leader as free agency backup plan

A year ago, Alex Bregman was one of the top free agents on the market. After nine seasons with the Houston Astros, Bregman entered free agency for the first time in his career and was pursued by a number of teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bregman instead joined the Blue Jays division rivals in the Boston Red Sox. After another successful season he is on the market again, but this time, it doesn't feel like his market is as hot as it was last year and he could actually be a backup plan for the Blue Jays, instead of their number one focus.

Blue Jays could pivot to stealing rival's leader as free agency backup plan

Bregman left $80 million on the table by opting out of his deal with the Red Sox. He originally signed for a three-year, $120 million contract, but is back into free agency wilderness and going into his age-32 season in 2026. Bregman delt with some injuries in 2025, but was still worth 3.5 bWAR and was named to the American League All-Star team.

He had his best slash line since 2019 when he hit .273/.360/.462 with an OPS of .821. He hit 18 home runs, 62 RBIs and a K% of 14.1 which ranks in the 88 percentile, with a 92nd percental Whiff% of 15.0. All of those numbers indicate he can still be an above average player at the plate, and he was also tremendous defensively, with his Outs Above Average in the 83rd percentile at third base.

If the Blue Jays aren't able to re-sign Bo Bichette, they could pivot to Bregman. While they still have Ernie Clement and Addison Barger who have earned playing time on the infield, Barger was also able to display his versatility by playing well in right field. The Blue Jays also looked very comfortable in having Andrés Giménez play shortstop while using Clement at second base when Bichette was injured in September and into October.

Bringing in Bregman would mean giving a two-time World Series champion some serious dollars to play third base every day. He could also fit in well with the clubhouse considering he played with a number of players who also have connections to the Astros, including George Springer, Myles Straw, Yimi Garcia and Joey Loperfido.

It is a fine backup plan, especially if it means that Bregman won't be playing with the Red Sox anymore. But all indications currently point to the Blue Jays looking to bring back Bichette first and foremost and the opportunity may be even stronger now as it looks like the Red Sox are out of the Bichette market, for now.