MLB Analyst Predicts Detroit Tigers Are Not Done Making Moves in Free Agency
In this story:
The MLB offseason has been surprisingly quiet for the Detroit Tigers.
After the unprecedented run they went on during the second half of last year, which included a sweep of the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round before being defeated in five games by the Cleveland Guardians, the expectation was the team would spend money to build on the positive momentum created with that run since their timeline to compete seemed to have been moved up multiple years.
The needs that had to be addressed for the team to remain in the mix as a playoff team and eventually build their way up to being legitimate World Series contenders were clear.
They had to add some pop to the lineup and depth behind ace Tarik Skubal on the pitching staff.
To some extent, they accomplished that.
Second baseman Gleyber Torres was signed away from the New York Yankees to help solidify the lineup. But, he doesn’t help balance things out as much as they had hoped since he is essentially replacing Spencer Torkelson, another right-handed hitter who is being moved aside in favor of Colt Keith at first base.
On the mound, the team has only made one addition thus far; veteran Alex Cobb.
He is another major injury risk for a staff that has suffered plenty of ailments in recent years after only making three starts during the 2024 regular season.
Both players agreed to one-year, $15 million deals as the Tigers haven’t committed long-term money to anyone this offseason.
As a result, some evaluators have been underwhelmed by the team’s work this winter, and with a month until Spring Training, there isn’t much time to change that.
However, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN believes that is going to change soon.
In a recent piece where some bold predictions for the remainder of the offseason were shared, he predicted Detroit will land star free agent third baseman, Alex Bregman.
“There are lots of reasons this makes sense, with the exception being positional fit since Detroit added another infielder in Gleyber Torres. Nevertheless, the Tigers have the payroll space to add Bregman, and his positional versatility gives the team a lot of leeway in how to use him for the duration of the contract. He could start at any of the infield spots, and Detroit could move players around Torres to make a number of configurations work. Bregman would be the perfect veteran presence for a young team at the outset of a new window of winning. His history with manager A.J. Hinch gives him a comfort zone. Bregman has to end up somewhere and this makes the most sense to me.”
There have been reports the star has been the Tigers’ No. 1 target in free agency all along. But, to this point, they haven’t budged from the number they are offering.
With Bregman still available, it seems the front office made the right move to hold out this long. But, they shouldn’t wait any longer and need to close the deal.
He brings so much to the table that would benefit this team, being a power threat at the plate, a Gold Glover winner at the hot corner and providing championship experience this group is lacking.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.