Detroit Tigers Skipper Has Simple Message About Being Spurned by Star Third Baseman
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The Detroit Tigers and Alex Bregman looked like a great fit on paper.
His familiarity with current Tigers manager AJ Hinch from their days together as part of the Houston Astros and the hole at the hot corner that could have used an established veteran to fill it, made this seem like a perfect match.
Detroit was competitive.
They offered Bregman the type of contract he was reportedly looking for this winter, extending him a multi-year deal that didn't quite reach the $200 million range, but rivaled what else was presented to the star third baseman.
But, finances and flexibility were the deciding factors in his free agency, with Bregman choosing to take the $40 million guaranteed from the Boston Red Sox in 2025 with the ability to opt-out after his first season there.
It's a tough loss for the Tigers, and one that probably hits Hinch the hardest.
He was asked about his feelings regarding his former player turning down the offer that was made by him and the franchise he manages, and the skipper had a simple answer.
"We're moving forward," Hinch said per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News.
There's really nothing else Detroit can do besides that unless Bregman fails a physical or something else occurs to not make this deal official. But Hinch isn't taking getting turned down personally since he knows that is part of the business.
"We're good. I've been in the game a long time. I value all these relationships, both the ones I have currently and the ones I had in the past. It's competition. It's a sport. It's ever-changing. You see a lot of different people moving teams. You have to take it for what it is and move into the next phase," he added.
The Tigers still have interesting internal options to deploy at third base with former top prospect Jace Jung and veteran Matt Vierling expected to platoon depending on the pitching matchup.
Nolan Arenado is also floated as a possibility, with the market for the future Hall of Famer expected to heat up after Bregman made his decision, allowing the St. Louis Cardinals to move him and kickstart their rebuild.
But Detroit shouldn't be desperate.
Coming into the offseason, they were seen as long shots to sign Bregman in the first place. And the strange free agency for the two-time World Series champion allowed them to get into a position where they were this involved in his decision until the very end.
Missing on Bregman hurts, but like Hinch said, the only thing they can do now is move forward.
