The Boston Red Sox have gotten hot and are playing great baseball after it seemed like the team was dead in the water.
Boston has won six straight games and eight of their last 10, now tied with the Seattle Mariners for the third American League Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox have gone on this hot stretch without third baseman Alex Bregman, who is said to have a good chance of being reinstated from the injured list before the All-Star break.
Before a quadriceps injury that has sidelined him since May 23, Bregman was having an excellent first season with the Red Sox.
Bregman, 31, has 11 home runs and 35 RBI while slashing .299/.385/.553 in 51 games this season.
He signed a three-year, $120 million contract with opt-outs after this year and next year, late in the offseason.
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Considering Bregman could elect free agency, the Red Sox should be doing everything they can to extend the two-time All-Star and World Series champion.
Former Major League Baseball executive and current writer for The Athletic Jim Bowden answered 25 questions leading up to the trade deadline in three weeks, including a question about a possible Bregman extension.
“The Red Sox would like to extend Bregman before the trade deadline, but it won’t be easy with Scott Boras as his agent,” wrote Bowden. “And, I’m hearing, in my conversations throughout the league, if he’s not extended, they could end up trading him to Seattle, Detroit or Milwaukee.”
If Boston can’t convince Bregman to stay, there’s a chance they try to trade him for a massive haul.
Seattle and Detroit were two rumored landing spots for Bregman in the offseason but he ultimately decided on Boston.
Both Seattle and Milwaukee are without a quality third baseman and have solid prospect pools to get a deal done.
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