Detroit Tigers Insider Pours Cold Water on Dream Free Agent Signing Alex Bregman
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After the Detroit Tigers miraculous run from nearly double digit games out of the Wild Card spot to deep playoff run, there's more optimism surrounding the team than there has been in a long time.
That optimism has brought the hope that aggressive moves could be in play this winter to elevate Detroit from fun underdog story to legitimate World Series contender. While moves will certainly be made, the degree to which the team is willing to spend or deal prospects in the trade market remains to be seen. One player that has been widely connected by fans and media alike to the Tigers has been Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman.
After years of a platoon system and one of the most unproductive groups in baseball over the last couple of seasons, both the positional fit and the right-handed All-Star bat that Bregman can provide make him an ideal candidate if Detroit wanted to make a huge splash. But it's never really felt all that realistic for the Tigers to hand over a massive financial commitment to a player who will be 31 before the season and whose numbers have began to drop. Evan Woodberry of Michigan Live addressed the possibility in a recent mailbag article when he was asked why the Tigers have the second-best Vegas odds next to the Astros to land the slugger.
"It’s easy to see why Bregman has been floated as a potential option for the Tigers. He’s an All-Star third baseman and the Tigers have had an unsatisfactory rotating cast at the hot corner for years," Woodberry wrote. "But I’m skeptical that the Tigers are in the thick of the Bregman sweepstakes. At best, they’re likely on the periphery....I don’t see the Tigers committing to that kind of term or money for a player who could be in decline from Day 1 of the deal."
Woodberry went on to point out that if Bregman's free agency goes on for a long time and he becomes more open to taking on a shorter term deal, that's where Detroit could throw their hat in the ring. A recent report this week from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com revealed that Houston has already offered Bregman a six-year deal for roughly $156 million and the fact that he hasn't accepted it shows he thinks he can get more on the open market and wants something closer to $200 million.
If that is indeed the case, Woodberry is probably correct in asserting that the Tigers would look elsewhere for production at the third base position rather than the expensive Bregman.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.