The Athletic declares Blue Jays the best fit for Alex Bregman

What a week it's been for Alex Bregman. With the start of spring training less than a week away, seemingly every team in baseball has reportedly checked in on the star third baseman who is also the best free agent remaining on the market.

One of these teams is the Toronto Blue Jays, who, after being linked to Bregman all winter, could have more motivation to sign him after Pete Alonso spurned them for a return to New York.

The Athletic's Chad Jennings doubled down on that interest Friday by picking Bregman to the Blue Jays in his article (subscription required) where he picked one free agent signing for every team.

While Jennings' article didn't have any new reporting, it reiterated how good of a partnership Bregman to the Blue Jays would be, and how it could help Toronto win an offseason that seems to have left a sour taste in some fan's mouths.

"This is the splash the Blue Jays have been trying to make for a couple of years," Jennings writes. Bregman is a better fit — both short-term and long-term — than Alonso would have been, and he would give the Blue Jays one of the best infields in all of baseball alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Andrés Giménez. Bregman is basically the biggest move any team could make, and the Blue Jays are as motivated as anyone to make it."

It's hard to aruge with Jennings' logic. A move for Bregman would allow for the Blue Jays to keep Guerrero at first base (where he's a much better defender compared to third base) and slide a Gold Glove winner into the infield next to Bo Bichette and Andrés Giménez.

Bregman's coming off a Gold Glove winning season where he beat out Cleveland's José Ramírez and Toronto's Ernie Clement. Last year his fielding percentage (.972) was top among American League third baseman. He also led all AL third baseman in assists (242), total chances (355) and putouts (103).

He was worth six outs above average (his third straight season having a positive OAA number) and was tied for second in Defensive Runs Saved (six) and third in zone rating (.799).

Inserting Bregman into the Blue Jays infield would make Toronto's defense one of the American League's best thank to him being next to Giménez. Giménez led AL all position players in defensive runs saved last season (20), and won the Platinum Glove in 2023.

But what would it take for the Blue Jays to sign Bregman?

According to multiple reports, Bregman is sitting on multiple six-year offers, and USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported earlier this week that Bregman had no interest in signing a short-term deal.

As of now, it seems like the main players in the Bregman sweepstakes are the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Tigers. Earlier in the week it seemed like the Astros had bowed out of the running for Bregman, but Jon Heyman of the New York post reported Thursday that the Astros had upped their offer from the six-year, $165 million contract they offered him earlier in the season. That said, it doesn't seem like it'll be enough to get the job done.

With Bregman appearing to value contract length above all else, the Blue Jays have their work cut out for them. It's just a matter of whether or not they feel comfortable signing Bregman to that long of a contract.