When the Red Sox headed into the 2025 season, it was no secret that they needed to change their lineup to find a right-handed hitter who could balance the weight of Rafael Devers’ bat from the left side. With a young core, the team hoped to find a veteran presence who could fill that hole. Additionally, the question mark hole at second base remained a mystery because it wasn’t certain that Kristian Campbell would start the year with the big league club. When they signed Alex Bregman on February 15th, the front office hoped they had solved all their problems. A little over a month into the season, Alex Bregman stands as the objective best player on the 2025 Red Sox roster, proving that if Craig Breslow didn’t land this metaphorical marlin, this team would’ve been dead in the water.

While there was, of course, some drama surrounding the signing between him and the former Sox handler of the hot corner, Raffy Devers, both are now finally starting to succeed in their rightful positions; however, Bregman’s heroics date back to his first Spring Training start for the club. Devers, who missed most of the team’s games in Fort Myers, struggled to find himself at the plate to start this season, assuming he was getting comfortable with his role as a full-time DH. However, Bregman, the reigning Gold Glove winner for the American League, easily slid right into the corner spot of the Red Sox infield. Between Bregman and Story, the Red Sox defense has looked entirely different. While the team at large still hasn’t been playing to their best capabilities, especially on the field, Bregman and Story have made at least the infield look like they are one of the most cohesive units in the league, with the help of the young Campbell who proved that he not only could handle the responsibilities and talent that comes with playing in the bigs, but can handle being the most consistent second baseman Boston has seen since Dustin Pedroia.

Bregman, who has only missed a few games after being placed on the Paternity List, has started in all thirty-seven games he’s played, and has successfully executed 95% of the plays he’s seen at third. With twenty-three putouts and seventy-seven assists on the year already, he has proven defensively why he earned that Gold Glove last year in Houston. While Devers was known to be a threat with the bat, his fielding work left some things to be desired amongst Red Sox Nation, so to see both of these superstars excelling in their respective roles for the club is truly a sight to behold, even if Bregman was initially planning on moving to another position to satisfy the needs of the then struggling infield. Currently, Bregman is ranked third in Defensive Runs Saved and will continue to excel in his primary position throughout his major league career.

Breggy plates a pair for the lead! pic.twitter.com/LhOA0ZflXG

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 8, 2025

Most notably, however, is how effective Bregman’s bat has been for this Red Sox offense. Throughout the offseason, it was expected that Alex Bregman would sign elsewhere, potentially returning to the Astros or moving up to Detroit to hold down third for the Tigers; however, Craig Breslow’s team presented an offer that Bregman and his camp just couldn’t refuse, Breslow knowing that Bregman’s numbers in Boston as an opposing player were already something to note. Before even putting on a Red Sox uniform, Bregman was walking into his new home stadium with a .375 batting average, 30 hits out of 80 plate appearances, seven home runs, nine doubles, and fifteen RBIs. His OPS at Fenway was 1.240, the highest amongst players with at least seventy-five plate appearances (both home and away players), and his OBP trails just one former Red Sox by the likes of Ted Williams. After playing with the club to start the season, he’s done nothing but improve on those stats as he’s been putting up MVP-caliber numbers. Before the Sox’s final game against the Rangers started, he hit .327/.401/.612 with an OPS at a whopping 1.013. Already in the 2025 season, he’s racked up twenty-four extra base hits (which leads the MLB), fifteen doubles (which also leads the MLB), and thirty RBIs, all of which equate to a 2.3 WAR (wins above replacement)-but keep in mind, it’s only the beginning of May; we still have 123 games left to play this season. As of May 7th, he hit his 200th home run of his career, and continues to shine during even the bleakest of Red Sox games.

Now, one could think, “This is so great for him and for Boston, there’s no way this party could ever end!” Well, when Bregman signed his three-year, $120,000,000 contract this past winter, the deal included opt-outs after each of the first two years. So if the Red Sox organization doesn’t continue with their promise for “better baseball,” the team and fans could see their north star in another uniform next season. Hopefully, the team can start to play better as a cohesive unit, allowing Bregman to realize how substantial his impact has been on this young team.