The Red Sox have their veteran leader and right-handed slugger in place in Alex Bregman. 

But now that Boston has reportedly handed the 30-year-old infielder a three-year, $120 million contract, more questions are set to sprout up over how Alex Cora and Craig Breslow juggle a roster filled with talent — but also potentially hindered by several logjams across the diamond. 

Here’s three questions that the Red Sox will need to sort out as Bregman makes his way to Fort Myers. 

Bregman has appeared in 1,111 career games across nine seasons in the big leagues. 

Over that extended stretch, Bregman has only played nine total games at second base. But even though Bregman has spent most of his career at third , it looks as though Boston is planning on moving Bregman away from the hot corner in 2025. 

“The expectation is Alex Bregman will play second base for Boston, sources tell ESPN,” Jeff Passan tweeted on Wednesday night. “Even though the Red Sox have top prospect Kristian Campbell coming, they saw Bregman having enough of an impact that they offered $40 million a year — with deferrals — to make the deal happen.”

At first glance, the logical move for the Red Sox would be to keep Bregman at third base in 2025 and move Rafael Devers to either DH or first base in a corresponding move. Bregman is coming off a Gold Glove season in 2024, finishing the year with six defensive runs saved.

Even with Devers’ evident talent at the plate, his defensive play has left a lot to be desired over the years. He has led the American League in errors at third base every year since 2018, while FanGraphs tabbed Devers with a defensive runs saved rating of minus-nine in 2024. 

Replacing Devers with Bregman at third would be an instant upgrade, boosting a Red Sox defense that led the AL in errors last season with 115. 

The Red Sox would have to free up a spot at first or DH in order to accommodate Devers, but taking fielding out of the equation for Devers would allow Boston to maximize his value as one of the best hitters in the game — as well as limit some of the wear and tear on his body. 

But based on Alex Cora’s comments from December, it looks as though Boston believes that Bregman can still offer plenty of defensive value at second. 

“He should be OK,” Cora said of Bregman shifting to second. “We actually had that conversation [about playing second] in ‘17. We made some adjustments at third base. Where he was playing, he was feeling uncomfortable. At the end, it paid off for him.

“He’s a Gold Glover defender at third. But I always envisioned him playing in the middle of the diamond. He can adjust. He has the baseball IQ to do that. People might think the double play might be an issue, but I don’t think so. I think he can do whatever.”

Bregman should be able to provide an impact with his glove all across the infield. But his value would be maximized at third, especially if it moves Devers out that spot. 

Before the Red Sox reportedly sealed the deal with Bregman, Boston was seemingly poised to embrace a youth movement at second base in 2025. 

While Vaughn Grissom is looking to carve out a starting role after an injury-riddled 2024 season, top prospect Kristian Campbell was also tabbed as a potential breakout candidate out of camp. 

“I was against talking about the kids a few years ago,” Cora said of Boston’s top prospects like Campbell and Roman Anthony. “Now, it doesn’t matter. We’re in a spot where they’re here. There’s no age limit to make it to the big leagues. You can make it at 20, you can make it at 32. They did an outstanding job last year.  … We don’t have to hide it. 

“The cool thing about them is they’re very humble, too. They understand how it goes. They’re fun to be around. We’ll have fun with it and they know it. They’re prepared.”

Given Campbell’s meteoric rise in Boston’s farm system, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the 22-year-old impresses in Grapefruit League action and makes a concerted effort toward making the club on Opening Day. 

But even if Campbell does thrive in spring training, would there be a spot for him in Boston’s lineup if Bregman is holding court at second base?

While the presence of Bregman does alleviate some of the pressure on Campbell entering the 2025 season, the Red Sox also need to account for the possibility that Campbell is ready to contribute right away. 

If that ends up being the case, Boston might look at slotting Campbell into a corner outfield spot out of the gate, especially if Bregman isn’t budging at second base. 

That would create an additional logjam in terms of Campbell joining an outfield already featuring Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela — with Rafaela potentially shifting into more of a utility role if that roster reshuffle plays out. 

The Red Sox are likely at their best in 2025 with Bregman at third, Campbell at second, and Devers doing damage as a designated hitter or first baseman.

But in order to accommodate such a setup, Breslow would have to get creative with the rest of their roster.

Moving the current DH in Masataka Yoshida would clear up that logjam, but that’s a task easier said than done. Yoshida’s value isn’t all that high — especially after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery — while the 31-year-old veteran still has another three years and $54 million left on his contract.

Boston could try to dump his contract in a trade (a move that would likely require Boston to eat a lot of that money), but those efforts have been fruitless so far during the winter. 

In a perfect world, the Red Sox would keep Casas in place at first — with the 25-year-old slugger due for a bounce-back campaign after an injury-riddled 2024 season. But if the Red Sox are adamant about moving Devers off third, moving Casas for a prime return (Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez? Fernando Tatis Jr.?) could be a potential option. 

If Campbell does slot into the outfield, Boston could also package Wilyer Abreu and one of their starters to both free up space and get another top player.

The Red Sox have depth all across their lineup, so there could be several dominos that fall as a result of Bregman’s arrival. 

Bregman makes the 2025 Red Sox much better, but it feels like this roster is still in a work in progress entering spring training.