Detroit Tigers Received Wild Counteroffers from Superstar's Agent

The Detroit Tigers reportedly could not meet the ridiculous asking price from their top free agent target.

Apr 4, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) throws out Detroit Tigers right fielder Matt Vierling (8) at first base in the fifth inning at Minute Maid Park. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers came up short in what was a long and admirable pursuit of the top free agent available in former Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman.

Despite a very competitive six-year offer in the range of $170 million, the Tigers lost out to the staggering AAV and opt outs being offered by the Boston Red Sox, who won the sweepstakes with a $120 million deal over just three years with the chance to elect free agency again in each of the next two seasons.

For as frustrating as disheartening as this was, you can't fault what was a real, bonafide effort from Detroit and a willingness to spend while being falsely criticized for that not being the case.

According to a new reveal from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Bregman's camp — which likely just means notorious super agent Scott Boras — extended multiple different counter offers to the Tigers and gave them a chance to match.

One of the offers given to the team by Bregman's representation was a seven-year deal worth $200 million, something Detroit was understandably not willing to do given the fact the two-time All-Star is about to turn 31 years old and his best baseball may already be behind him.

Bregman being willing to accept a $200 million deal from any team is not particularly newsworthy as most players of his caliber would leap at that kind of money. But it's the other counter-offer Petzold reported on which is particularly interesting.

A six-year deal was acceptable for Boras and company, but they wanted it to be for $186 million, a number that likely could have been compromised on between both sides were it not for one further condition.

On top of the increased money, Bregman wanted an opt out after the 2025 season, something Detroit wisely decided against. When budgeting for a player for the next six years and counting on his production for that entire period, having him leave after just one season is a risk the Tigers could not afford to take.

Boras is notorious for pushing his clients toward free agency, so if Bregman were to come to the Motor City and have a great year with the chance to opt out, it's not quite a guarantee but a significant likelihood it would have been exercised.

Detroit played these negotiations well and refused to be pushed around, which is exactly the way they needed to play it.

The fanbase, the locker room, and even the coaching staff would have been thrilled to land a player of Bregman's caliber, but that doesn't mean they should have taken a deal that was nowhere close to fair just to make the dream a reality.

If Bregman was essentially not willing to commit to the team for more than a year, then the Tigers made the right call in not bending to his demands. Boras is notoriously tough to negotiate with, and by all accounts Detroit went toe to toe with him in impressive fashion.