The Boston Red Sox have been heavily connected to free-agent infielder Alex Bregman. Bregman has spent his entire big league career with the Houston Astros, but his price in free agency was outside of the Astros’ range, leading to Houston acquiring Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes to play the corner infield spots.

But Bregman is far from guaranteed to land in Boston. In fact, the veteran third baseman has quite a competitive market.

Rowan Kavner of FOX Sports recently predicted Bregman would sign with the Toronto Blue Jays instead of the Red Sox. This would be a huge blow for Boston as Bregman could completely change its lineup. Bregman’s final deal will likely be in the $200 million range while Kavner projected him to sign for seven years and $196 million.

“And now that a reunion in Houston appears out of the question, the possibilities are numerous. Any contending team with a need at third base (or second base) should be interested,” Kavner wrote. “The (Detroit) Tigers make the most sense for me as a fit, but I don’t anticipate their best offer will be enough. So, I’ll say the Blue Jays, coming off their massive 2024 disappointment, do what it takes to land the star that has eluded them and give him seven years and $196 million.”

Toronto needs to do anything at this point. While the Blue Jays haven’t been connected to Bregman for as long as the Red Sox or Tigers, they could swoop in and send the star a contract worth nearly $200 million to steal him.

That’s a deal the Tigers likely couldn’t compete with. It’s also a high enough number that the Red Sox may back out at that price as well.

Bregman would join a Blue Jays team that hasn’t added much talent this offseason.