Why Red Sox Should Choose This Infield Look After Alex Bregman Deal

The Boston Red Sox have plenty of reasons to love Alex Bregman joining their squad.

One of the greatest reasons is his reliable defense as a Gold Glove winner. He locked down third base for nearly a decade with the Houston Astros and brings the dependable glove Boston needs that and more after leading the American League in errors over the last two seasons.

Ironically, the Red Sox got sensational outfield defense last season when Jarren Duran took leaps forward and Wilyer Abreu won a Gold Glove in right field. That’s all with Ceddanne Rafaela, the best defender of the outfield group, being forced into the infield due to other injuries on the roster.

The issue sat in the infield defense. Trevor Story missed most of the season with a shoulder injury and the second base turnstile that’s run since Dustin Pedroia’s career ended continued. Story’s healthy return and the Bregman deal are instant improvements for that endeavor. The question now becomes where every player fits.

Bregman is a natural third baseman in the big leagues, but he could make the switch to second base where Alex Cora always believed he could win another Gold Glove. That seems to be the likely start to the season, but MassLive’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam reported Saturday that Bregman’s position could depend on the emergence of Kristian Campbell, who ended last season with real momentum to start the season on the Opening Day roster at second base in 2025.

If that’s how the Red Sox feel, that’s a great decision in the best interests of maximizing the roster and getting the best defensive result and adding another intriguing bat to the lineup. At some point this season, this grouping feels like the best possible scenario at third base.

3B Alex Bregman
SS Trevor Story
2B Kristian Campbell
1B Triston Casas
DH Rafael Devers

Bregman naturally plays third, Story captains the infield at short, Campbell wins the position battle at second and Casas is back where he belongs. The idea that Devers shouldn’t be the DH just because of his big-dollar contract is frankly ridiculous.

This combination gives the Red Sox the most quality hitters in the lineup, the best defensive infield alignment and, most importantly, the best chance to win as many games as possible and end a three-year postseason drought.

There’s a lot to be decided about the roster in spring training. That’s what these next few weeks are for. With that said, it would be in the best interests of the Red Sox to ultimately land at this alignment.