Detroit Tigers' Pursuit of Alex Bregman Receives Bad News With Latest Update

The Detroit Tigers have been actively involved in the pursuit of the top available free agent still on the board in Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman.

In order for a dream target like Bregman to actually come to the Tigers, however, it was likely never going to be because Detroit was the highest bidder straight out of the gate. It was going to have to be a situation where the star had a slow-developing market and was taking his time to sign.

In an ideal world for Tigers fans hoping to see Bregman wind up in the Motor City, the two-time World Series champion would be willing to accept a shorter term deal containing opt outs, a contract Detroit would likely pounce on.

That hope can likely be thrown out the window according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, who says while the market for New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso has headed in that direction, don't count on the same for Bregman.

"While Alonso may be willing to accept a short-term deal with the ability to opt out after the 2025 season, Bregman is not going down that path," Nightengale wrote. "He has no desire to accept a short-term contract, and remains engaged with several teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox."

The insider went on to share a quote from Bregman's agent Scott Boras, where the super agent explained why he thinks his client remains unsigned.

"Bregman’s a championship player, teams know it," he said. "It’s really a matter of his decision-making and theirs, about how you can close up that gap. There’s substantial interest (in long-term) deals."

Those words certainly don't sound like Bregman's camp is going to be willing to accept anything less than every dollar they feel the two-time All-Star is worth.

If Bregman truly is holding out hope for a seven-year deal or a $200 million total value, it would be fairly shocking at that point to see him sign with the Tigers.

If Detroit was willing to go that high, he'd likely have signed already.

Now the courtship of Bregman turns into a game of chicken between the Tigers, likely the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, and potentially a surprise suitor or two.

Clearly, nobody is majorly inclined to give him the megadeal he desires.

But a situation like a three-year deal which Detroit would absolutely love is simply not going to happen.

If the Tigers want to sign Bregman, Boras is sending a clear message here; they are going to have to pay up.