Red Sox Get Compelling Update On Tigers' Alex Bregman Interest

If this offseason feels like deja vu for the Boston Red Sox and third baseman Alex Bregman, it's because a lot of the exact same principles apply this time around.

Obviously, the Red Sox just had Bregman for the past year. They also no longer have Rafael Devers, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants, in part because of his discontent about losing third base to Bregman in Boston.

But the familiar aspects of this winter are that A) no one seems particularly convinced of Boston's urgent desire to bring Bregman back, especially for the five- or six-year deal he seems to covet, and B) the other teams involved are the same main characters we saw last year, save for his old club, the Houston Astros.

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Tigers 'lukewarm' on Bregman

The Detroit Tigers made Bregman a six-year, $171.5 million offer last year. They've been consistently linked to him again this time around, but the latest update on where things stand betweent the three-time All-Star and the American League Central contenders should certainly interest Boston fans.

On Monday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Tigers' interest in Bregman "has been lukewarm" through the first month of the offseason since the All-Star opted out of his contract with the Red Sox at the start of November.

"(It is unclear) whether the Tigers will make another offer to Bregman in the 2025-26 offseason, following his return to free agency," Petzold wrote. "The Tigers' interest in Bregman has been lukewarm so far, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, but it could heat up with the MLB Winter Meetings underway."

In addition to potentially feeling spurned by Bregman last offseason and therefore less enthused about pursuing him again, the Tigers may be hamstrung in this case by second baseman Gleyber Torres accepting their $22.025 million qualifying offer last month, Petzold claimed.

"When Torres accepted the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer instead of testing free agency, a Bregman deal became less likely," the insider wrote.

Do the Red Sox want Bregman back above all else? If so, this report is nothing but good news, though a potential threat from the Chicago Cubs is a separate issue. But what if Boston is instead focused on Kyle Schwarber and/or Pete Alonso?

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