Are Detroit Tigers Now out of Alex Bregman Sweepstakes After Signing Jack Flaherty?
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The Detroit Tigers made their splash late on Sunday night.
They reunited with Jack Flaherty on a short-term contract that brings back a pitcher who loved his time in the city and with the franchise, but was shipped out at the trade deadline when it appeared like the Tigers weren't going to be contenders last season.
It's a huge boost to their rotation.
While there are plenty of intriguing, young arms in the picture, it's not a given they would have produced at the same level Flaherty provided. And for a team that is ready to contend and put their rebuild behind them, taking a step back would be detrimental to the perception surrounding this organization.
So, the Tigers shelled out $25 million to solidify their rotation in 2025 by bringing back Flaherty. He'll get a $10 million salary in 2026 which can get to $20 million if he makes 15 starts this year, but also is attached with a player option.
That's a lot of money handed out by Detroit, which brings up the question; are they now out of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes?
Right now, it feels like that's the case.
Throughout the process, the Tigers seemed unwilling to meet the salary figure the star third baseman was looking to receive, one of the reasons why his free agency has dragged into February.
Allocating this amount of cash to Flaherty certainly doesn't suggest they will turn around and hand out a megadeal to bring Bregman to town after they were already hesitant to make that happen in the first place.
There's no doubt Bregman would have been a welcome addition for Detroit, immediately giving themselves one of the best all-around third basemen in Major League Baseball who would help achieve their goal of being a true contender this season.
However, it seems like they're more than willing to see what they have in Jace Jung.
The former top prospect didn't blow anyone away with his slash line of .241/.362/.304 in 34 games and 94 plate appearances during his first action in the MLB, but he projects to have a high ceiling and fits the timeline alongside the multiple other young pieces on this roster.
Detroit theoretically could still sign Bregman.
But it would take a major pivot from how they've operated throughout this offseason and a massive financial commitment to get it done.
Not something that seems to be in the cards for the Tigers.
