Do the Red Sox need Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado?

Regardless of which direction you lean, adding leadership and defense feels both necessary and urgent.

Sitting in the right-side mezzanine of MGM Music Hall during the Netflix panel of Fenway Fest was quite the experience.

As I waited for the event to start, it was a phenomenal vantage point to take in the crowd, picking out the most obscure fits of the day on the packed floor: Coco Crisp, a Bobby Dalbec fan still clinging onto old memories, the throngs of DunKings track suits littering the seats. All of a sudden—not even ten feet away—Alex Cora popped up, talking to some young fans before taking a seat within a stone’s throw of me. Sam Kennedy came up to join him, then Trevor Story, Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas, Tom Werner (yes, ownership was in the building), each filing into one of the booths or chairs along the mezzanine’s edge. Craig Breslow stood in the corner, watching the crowd intently.

Then, during the panel, something caught my eye. CB and Sam Kennedy way off to the side, having a very animated conversation. It went on for 10-15 minutes and it was hard not to make conjecture about what they could be discussing. It didn’t take long for someone nearby to chime in, “They better be talking about Bregman!”

That was a common theme throughout Saturday. The air was palpably buzzing with talk of an addition to the offense. “Bring in Bregman, they’re clearly playing a game of chicken with Scott Boras.” “Trade for Arenado…as long as you’re not sending Casas the other way.” “It was great to see Casas here today, I hope he stays.” So what should the Red Sox really do?

There is absolutely a strong case for Alex Bregman. His potential positional versatility is arguably his biggest draw. If he wants to play second base and be a vacuum with Trevor Story up the middle, I wouldn’t say no to that, and Alex Cora certainly would like to see it — though it raises the questions of where Kristian Campbell fits if he’s ready, and what to do with Vaughn Grissom. If he wants to play third base and let Rafael Devers be a full-time DH, fine by me. Apparently, fine by Raffy too, from his Instagram likes.

Even with an asterisk on 2017, he is a two-time World Series champion with immense pedigree. His OPS+ is going down, his walk rate is going down, and his strikeout rate is slightly climbing, so he’s not exactly the same hitter, but he’s still going to give you around 25 homers and 95 RBI a season. He’s still an extreme impact player on the field and provides a lot of leadership off it, from what’s been reported. Passion and leadership — vocal leadership — have been lacking since Big Papi retired, frankly, and might do a lot to restore consistent winning culture and mentality in the clubhouse.

That’s not to say Nolan Arenado would be a slouch addition either. Trevor Story praised him over the weekend, talking about his intensity and believing he would thrive in Boston. Ten Gold Gloves would clean up inarguably one of the weakest parts of this team in infield defense. Five Silver Sluggers shows his past hitting prowess, but his production at the dish has taken a nosedive the last two seasons. After averaging an OPS+ in the 130s for most of his career, he put up just 108 and 101, respectively, the previous two seasons.

His addition would be a lot more complicated to maneuver. Does Arenado have the leverage to force a trade or are the Red Sox going to have to give up something of real value for an aging future Hall of Famer? Arenado has to be a third baseman, so it means Devers would have move somewhere else — first base or a full-time DH. If Casas stays as a part of this, what about him? If you’re keeping Yoshida in this deal, what about him in the lineup? Arenado’s move to Boston may create even more questions than there are answers for right now. Still, we’ve seen Arenado dominate at the hot corner with his glove and that is something well worth considering.

Fenway Fest woke up the fanbase in the middle of the offseason. With the magic of watching snow fall over a cold Green Monster, Sox fans were hot with what to do. Hopefully that heat convects to ownership and the front office and this team puts the final pieces together soon. For as complicated as either of these potential moves might be, adding leadership and defense feels both necessary and urgent.