Who Is The Better Free Agent Infielder, Bo Bichette Or Alex Bregman?

When it comes to free agency, fans have seen some big-name players come off the market quickly. Josh Naylor re-signed with the Seattle Mariners, and Kyle Schwarber also opted to stay home by agreeing to a new deal with the Phillies. Pete Alonso decided to bring his talents to Baltimore and the American League. Closer Edwin Diaz chose to move from New York to Hollywood, while fellow closer Devin Williams opted to move from the Bronx to Queens, making the Mets' void in the ninth only temporary. 

Despite the big moves, two big-name free agents remain: Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman.

Bichette and Bregman are two players who can significantly impact a team, not only due to their bats, but also their positional infield flexibility. Bichette played shortstop in Toronto, but he has remarked that he is open to moving to second base for the right team. As for Bregman, he's a Gold Glove winner at the hot corner, but he, too, can move to second base if needed (though he doesn't seem as willing as Bichette). 

Both players are expected to command long-term deals in the $25+ million range in terms of average annual value (AAV), according to Spotrac. That said, which player is the better value for such a mega deal? 

Let's break down the candidacy of each free agent and determine who would be the better acquisition for an interested team looking to improve its roster insignificantly in 2026 and beyond.

The Case for Bo Bichette

Better Batted-Ball Metrics

When it comes to batted-ball quality, there's no question that the 27-year-old infielder is a better fit. 

Last season, Bichette outperformed Bregman in average exit velocity on batted balls (91 MPH to 90.1 MPH), max exit velocity (112.3 MPH to 109.6 MPH), barrel rate (7.9% to 6.6%), and hard-hit rate (48.8% to 44.4%). Thus, it's not a surprise that Bichette posted a much better xwOBA (.352) than Bregman a season ago (.334). 

Furthermore, Bichette's Statcast performance in those batted-ball categories ranked in the top percentiles of the league, as illustrated in his TJ Stats summary profile below.

In addition to hitting the ball hard, Bichette launches the ball well (86th percentile Launch Angle Sweet-Spot%) and doesn't whiff (83rd percentile) or strikeout much (85th percentile). While the Blue Jays' draft pick has an aggressive approach (12th percentile O-Swing% and 25th percentile BB%), he possesses the batted-ball skills that will translate to any ballpark next season and beyond.

Youth and Rosier Long-Term Outlook

Another positive about Bichette is that he's four years younger than Bregman. Thus, any team that signs Bichette will be getting him in the prime of his career.

When looking at his projections for next year, Steamer projects Bichette to post a 121 wRC+ and 3.6 fWAR in 131 games. In that projection sample, he is also projected for 17 home runs, 75 runs scored, 70 RBI, a .293 average, and .344 wOBA. In a 152-game projection, Depth charts projects 20 home runs, 84 runs scored, 79 RBI, a .293 average, and .344 wOBA. They also project a 121 wRC+ and 4.0 fWAR. 

Steamer projects a 120 wRC+ and 3.7 fWAR for Bregman and 3.7 fWAR in 2026. While they project Bregman to hit more home runs (23), they also project a much lower batting average (.262) and only a nominal difference in OBP (.346 to Bichette's .341). The former Boston infielder is also coming off a 114-game season, which is 25 fewer games than what Bichette played with Toronto last season.  

Granted, Bichette got hurt at the end of last season, which prevented him from having much of an impact in the postseason. Nonetheless, the combination of Bichette's age and the more games he played in 2025 should give him a more optimistic outlook for staying on the field long-term for any team looking to pay him big money.

The Case for Alex Bregman

Better Plate Discipline

One of Bregman's best traits as a hitter is that he has a sound approach at the plate and doesn't give away many at-bats in a given season. While he is known for home run power (three straight seasons of 20+ home runs from 2023-2025), he also has a strong ability to maximize walks and avoid strikeouts.

Last season, Bregman generated a 10.3% walk rate, 3.9% higher than Bichette's. Furthermore, while Bichette didn't strike out a ton (14.5%), the 31-year-old third baseman still had a slightly lower K rate (14.1%). As a result, Bregman's 0.73 BB/K ratio was 29 points better than Bichette's in 2025.

Additionally, Bregman chased significantly less than Bichette last year (23.4% O-Swing% to Bichette's 37.9% O-Swing%). The former LSU product also whiffed fewer times (5.5% Swinging Strike rate to Bichette's 8.9% Swinging Strike rate). Granted, the Boston third baseman took a lot more pitches, as his called-strike percentage of 20.8% was 7.5% higher than Bichette's. Still, for a team looking for an improvement in overall plate approach, Bregman fits the bill better than Bichette.

That is further confirmed by his Statcast summary profile, which shows his plate discipline metrics ranking in the top percentile of the league last year.

While the batted-ball percentiles are questionable (sub-20% barrel rate and sub-30% 90th and Max EV rates), his O-Swing%, Whiff%, and Z-Contact% ranked in the 90th or above percentiles in 2025. Furthermore, he also showed a strong ability to pull the ball, especially in the air (77th percentile in Pull Air%). That could make him a strong fit in a righty-friendly home ballpark.

Better Defense

When it comes to defense, Bregman is a significant upgrade over Bichette, primarily based on last year's metrics. 

In 2025 with the Red Sox, Bregman posted a +3 OAA, +3 FRV, and +1 DRS at the hot corner. Over his career, he has a +27 DRS, +27 OAA, and +29 FRV. The 31-year-old looks impressive across a variety of metrics, which is a big reason he earned a Gold Glove award (2024). 

It's the inverse, unfortunately, for Bichette.

Last year with the Blue Jays, Bichette posted a -13 OAA, -10 FRV, and -12 DRS at shortstop. Over his career, he has a -19 DRS, -32 OAA, and -27 FRV. Over the past three years, only Washington's CJ Abrams and Seattle's J.P. Crawford have been worse in terms of shortstop FRV, as seen below.

The reality is that Bichette probably can't stick at shortstop long-term, unlike Bregman, who absolutely can be a third baseman for the remainder of his career. For a team that needs strong defense, Bregman is a much better option for a long-term deal than Bichette.

Final Thoughts

When looking at their metrics over three years, Bregman edges out Bichette in most categories, with Bregman's defense being the most significant factor in the fWAR difference.

Bregman's 12.1 fWAR is 4.1 wins more than Bichette over this three-year sample. Furthermore, his 122 wRC+ is six points better than Bichette's over these three years as well. Conversely, Bichette has the higher xwOBA, as his .344 mark is not only eight points higher than his actual wOBA, but is also nine points higher than Bregman's xwOBA.

If a team is giving a contract based on past results, Bregman is by far the superior option. However, a team is not handing out a deal based on what a player did in the past, but on what they WILL do for their current team. That's why Bichette may be the slightly better option, as his batted-ball and expected metrics indicate a more positive offensive trend going forward than Bregman, especially since Bregman has to still prove himself as an offensive force without Houston's "righty-friendly" ballpark.

That said, any team that signs Bichette has to understand his defensive deficiencies. He likely can't play shortstop for long, and it will be important for his next team to surround him with good infielders, even if they may not be as offensively efficient. Bregman, on the other hand, can be a better "plug with whatever team" option because his defense is not an issue.

Regardless, offensive upside matters the most when it comes to a long-term deal for a free agent, and that's where Bichette slightly edges Bregman as a better long-term value for interested teams.