Detroit Tigers Still Facing Obstacles in Successfully Landing Dream Free Agent

The top remaining free agent still available for the Detroit Tigers has not received the type of offer he wants.

Aug 12, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) hits a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Throughout the offseason, the Detroit Tigers have been linked heavily to the biggest name free agent available.

Entering the winter, the Tigers were seen as an ideal fit for Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman for a number of reasons. From a borderline crippling need at third base along with the blending of a veteran winning baseball player with a young team trying to figure out how to take the next step, Bregman is the dream target for Detroit fans and would fit like a glove into the clubhouse.

Not to mention his prior relationship with current Tigers and former Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who he played his best baseball of his career under from 2019-2019, both season where he finished top-five in American League MVP voting.

Bregman coming to the Motor City was never going to be without its hurdles however, and despite being the best fit, Detroit has had serious challengers in the pursuit to sign him.

At this juncture, as late in the game as things are, the biggest threat to the Tigers seems to still be the Boston Red Sox. New reporting emerged this week that Houston is still involved, but his return seems like a complete long shot at this point.

Therefore, barring something unforeseen, Bregman will end up either in Boston or Detroit.

According to a report from the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox to this point have been unwilling to offer anything longer than a four-year deal. On top of that, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 stated the two-time All-Star has received at least three offers this offseason of five years or more, though it's unclear who they were from.

We know Bregman initially turned down a five-year deal worth over $150 million from the Astros, but if the Red Sox have not been willing to go above four years and multiple five year offers have been made, we can connect the pieces to rather safely assume the Tigers have made a longer offer than Boston has.

It's also worth noting that as recently as last week, the idea of Bregman taking a shorter term deal containing opt outs was not something he viewed as on the table, meaning if the Red Sox are only offering four years and refusing to go up from there, the star will not be headed there unless he changes his mind.

Instead, if the report surrounding multiple five or more year offers is accurate, Bregman appears to be willing to accept one of them even though it may not be his most preferred destination.

If one of those longer term deals is in fact from Detroit, Bregman very well could wind up being a Tiger.