Red Sox Not Listed Among Top Fits For Rumored $200 Million Free-Agent Target

Time to pivot elsewhere in free agency?

Jun 5, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of ball bags on the field during warm ups before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are known to be looking for premier right-handed hitters this winter. But is one free agent already worth crossing off the list?

Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox have some things going for them, but it's abundantly clear the lineup needs more right-handed thump. And to make matters worse, the team home run leader and best right-handed bat from this past season, Tyler O'Neill, is a threat to leave in free agency.

An unorthodox solution was proposed by insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic in September: Acquire Houston Astros superstar Alex Bregman, move Rafael Devers to first base, and possibly trade young star first baseman Triston Casas.

It was a radical idea, and Rosenthal doesn't typically pull ideas and rumors out of nowhere. But not all are in agreement that Bregman and the Red Sox are a good fit.

On Saturday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly listed the top seven fits for Bregman, who turns 31 next season, on the open market. And the Red Sox were not among those seven teams.

The Astros, the only team Bregman has ever known, were Kelly's number-one destination for the 30-year-old slugger. And the Red Sox's arch-nemesis, the New York Yankees, were on the list at number five.

There are a couple of obvious reasons Bregman and the Red Sox might not be an obvious fit, and the fact that Boston currently has Devers playing third base is one of them. The other is that Bregman, a Scott Boras client, is seeking a contract in excess of $200 million, which is a tough pill to swallow for a team that pays Devers over $30 million per season.

It's just one writer's opinion, and Boston could still very well get involved in the Bregman sweepstakes, particularly if the market seems less robust than he and Boras are initially anticipating. But if anyone was hoping for early momentum toward a Red Sox-Bregman partnership, that doesn't seem to be gathering steam.

More MLB: Padres $5 Million Lockdown Reliever Listed As Trade Candidate For Red Sox