Opposition research: Alex Bregman

Unlike the Phillies, the Red Sox offseason pickups have played well

It’s not unusual for a lot of different names to be attached to the Phillies in offseason rumors. Most of the time, these rumors originate with player agents, attempting to create buzz and drive up the price for their clients. So, it only makes sense for them to make teams think that big spenders like the Phillies are in the mix.

As we know, most of these names did not end up with the Phillies, whose major offseason acquisitions – Jesus Luzardo, Max Kepler, and Jordan Romano – have all disappointed to some extent. Meanwhile, several of those rumored players found their way to Boston and have found success. Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and Aroldis Chapman have all had strong seasons, putting the Sox in playoff contention.

There was a time during the offseason when it really felt like Alec Bohm was going to be traded, and the Phillies would sign Bregman to replace him. While Bohm has been solid since a disastrous start to the season, his numbers pale in comparison to Bregman’s, despite Bregman missing over a month with an injury.

It should be noted that Bregman would have been insanely expensive for the Phillies to sign, as he signed a three-year, $120 million deal that includes two opt-outs. Given the Phillies’ luxury tax status, the deal might have cost close to $50 million this season. Given what we know now, the upgrade would likely have been worth it, but at the time, that felt like a hefty price to pay for a player whose offensive numbers in 2024 were very similar to Bohm’s. (Defensively, while Bohm has improved over his career, he pales to the Gold Glove-winning Bregman.)

As for Crochet and Chapman, both would look good in Phillies uniforms right now, but I can understand why the Phillies went in a different direction. Crochet was acquired via trade, costing the Sox four prospects, two of which were rated in the top 100. That is a high price to pay for a pitcher who was generally regarded as good, but not the Cy Young contender he’s developed into this season.

And while there were proponents of signing Chapman, it was not seen as that big of a deal at the time. He was 36 years old and hadn’t recorded 30 saves in a season since 2021. Not to mention there is some history that would make his acquisition displeasing to some fans.

X-Men character of the series

Beast

Henry McCoy was one of the founding members of the X-Men, and his combination of strength, athleticism, intelligence, and wit proved to be a great asset to the team.

During the Krakoan era, Beast is put in charge of X-Force, the mutant’s “dark ops” team. Realizing that mutants were facing a series of existential threats, Beast “breaks bad” and devolves into a full-on supervillain, taking many morally questionable actions, all in the name of saving the mutant race.

Because we can never have too much permanent change in comic book characters, eventually, he’s killed and replaced by a much younger clone, so that we once again had a happy, friendly Beast on the X-Men.

Additional thought about the series

It wasn’t ideal to lose a series to the Angels at home coming out of the break, especially with the Red Sox and Yankees coming up next. But that’s what will happen when they get three subpar starting pitching performances. Even with Bryce Harper’s resurgence, this team is not built to overcome poor starts very often. Hopefully, that won’t continue to be an issue in this series with Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez scheduled to start.

I mentioned how Max Kepler has been a disappointing signing for the Phillies. With the Red Sox scheduled to start three righthanders, this might be Kepler’s last chance to prove he belongs on the roster. After the David Robertson signing, the team’s biggest trade need might now be a left fielder who can play at a level higher than replacement player. If Kepler can’t contribute anything this week, it feels like his time with the Phillies will be at an end.