Red Sox Projected To Trade For $85 Million Slugger As 'Plan B' After Alex Bregman

The big right-handed bat the Red Sox have been seeking?

Aug 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (27) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox might not get Alex Bregman, and that doesn't have to be the end of the world.

But if Bregman does sign elsewhere, they'd better be darn sure they have a backup plan.

See, the Red Sox still desperately need a big right-handed bat, especially since Tyler O'Neill, their 2024 home run leader, bolted to the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. Bregman may be the best righty still on the market when factoring in both offense and defense, but there's no guarantee Boston gets him.

If Bregman is holding out for $200 million and the Red Sox aren't willing to give it to him, they have to have something else up their sleeve. Fortunately, they still have deep pockets in terms of trade capital--both at the minor and major league levels.

On Thursday, FanSided's Cody Williams proposed a hypothetical trade that the Red Sox could turn to if they missed out on Bregman. The trade would bring Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki to Boston in exchange for starting pitcher Kutter Crawford and prospects.

"Boston might be the one team — or at least one of the few — that could still sway Chicago to deal Suzuki after the Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker trades," Williams wrote.

"With the newfound surplus of starting pitching the Red Sox have after this offseason, would it be outlandish to consider a package around a young highly-ranked prospect and Kutter Crawford?... You could even make that multiple prospects to really incline the Cubs to make the move."

Suzuki, 30, actually had a better year than any righty on the 2024 Red Sox, with a 138 OPS+ compared to O'Neill's 132. He's entering year four of a five-year, $85 million contract, so the Red Sox would owe approximately $38 million over the next two years.

Giving up on Crawford would be a tough call to make, even following a season where the righty led Major League Baseball in losses and home runs allowed. Pitching is such a valuable commodity, and the Red Sox have two members of the rotation set to re-enter free agency at the end of the year.

Those are the tough calls Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow gets paid to make. Plus, perhaps he can find another package that brings in Suzuki and doesn't see Crawford bound for Chicago.

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