Star Third Baseman Viewed Detroit Tigers As Non-Starter in Trade Conversations
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The Detroit Tigers were in the market for a third baseman this winter.
That was clear by their persistent efforts to land Alex Bregman, one of the jewels of this free agency cycle whose prolonged availability was surprising to many.
Adding the two-time World Series winner would have been perfect for the Tigers following their magical run to the playoffs where they came one win shy of reaching the ALCS.
Not only would Bregman have been a massive upgrade over what's currently in place, he also would have provided veteran leadership to the clubhouse that is in need of guidance with so many young players getting their first taste of Major League Baseball.
But, they came up short.
Detroit was seen as a team that might have pivoted to the next-best option available; making a trade for Nolan Arenado.
That was something they were reportedly interested in.
Per Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Tigers "inquired" about Arenado, seeing what it would take for the St. Louis Cardinals to trade the future Hall of Famer to them.
But with the star third baseman having a no-trade clause, nothing materialized because he didn't view them as World Series contenders this season or a team that would be competing for one in the near future.
"That's why talks with the Tigers, Royals and Angels never got off the ground. Those teams were viewed as non-starters by the player, a source described, and no substantial discussions took place," Woo reported.
That's an interesting bit of information.
Around the baseball world, Detroit is viewed as a team that's ascending, powered by their reigning AL Cy Young-winning ace with a bevy of talented players in the lineup and prospects coming up the pipeline.
Like Bregman, Arenado could have been the piece that helps them reach the next level of contender status, adding an established veteran to the lineup and clubhouse that improves the profile of the roster.
Arenado seems to not view things that way.
At 33 years old, it's hard to blame him for being selective when it comes to his destination, and since the Tigers weren't one of the teams on his approved list from the get-go, him changing his mind always felt like a long shot.
Still, Detroit appeared to be a good fit on paper.
Arenado didn't think so, and after an offseason where the Tigers were aggressively going after star third basemen to man the hot corner for them, they're going to have star prospect Jace Jung and veteran Matt Vierling platooning at the position instead.
