Detroit Tigers Reportedly At 'Standstill' in Negotiations With Dream Free Agent

The Detroit Tigers headed into the offseason with hopes from fans coming off their unlikely playoff run they would take some big swings in free agency.

With the goal of adding to a talented young core in order to take the next step from feel good underdog story to legitimate World Series contender, it stood to reason ownership could be willing to allow president of baseball operations Scott Harris to make a huge splash and sign one the the best players available.

To this point, that has not happened, but the one who was seen as the dream target from the start and most ideal fit was Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who still remains unsigned. By all accounts, the Tigers are still very much involved, but by the sounds of it, things are not moving in the right direction.

According to a Tuesday report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, both sides are dug in on their stance during the negotiations.

"The Detroit Tigers remain interested, but negotiations are at a standstill with less than one month until the first full-squad workout in spring training, according to a source with knowledge of the situation," Petzold wrote.

Petzold's report of a standstill in talks comes on the same day as prior news saying the two-time All-Star may be closing in on a contract with the Boston Red Sox, who throughout the process have been seen as one of the biggest threats to land Bregman.

Seeing the star land with the Red Sox would be devastating not only from a standpoint of him not coming to Detroit, but it would likely signal the beginning of Boston rising to prominence once again in the American League after a big offseason coming off some lean years.

For a young Tigers team who is trying to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the American League and having just dispatched the top dogs in the Astros, having the Red Sox emerge once again as a major force would be some poor timing to say the least.

Bregman's sticking point throughout this process — and likely the main reason he hasn't signed yet — has been the number of years on a potential contract. Seeking from the start a deal in the range of seven years and $200 million, teams involved by most accounts have been unwilling to approach that length.

Landing a two-time World Series champion who is still one of the best in the game would be spectacular, but the near 31-year-old Bregman's performance has begun to decline slightly and there's a high chance the deal would be a disaster halfway through it.

If Boston is offering the mega deal Bregman is seeking and the 'standstill' has been the result with Detroit, as painful as it may be, the Tigers should probably just let him go.