One Statistic Should Give Detroit Tigers Pause in Pursuit of All-Star Free Agent

A Detroit Tigers free agent target may not be as good of a fit for the franchise as originally believed.

Aug 26, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) back hands a hard hit ball in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers made another significant addition to their roster over the weekend when they agreed to a two-year deal with starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.

It is a reunion between the two sides. The veteran righty signed a one-year deal with the franchise as a free agent ahead of the 2024 campaign. After being met with a shockingly cold market, returning to a team in which he experienced a high level of success makes a lot of sense.

Now that Flaherty is in the mix, it will be interesting to see if the Tigers are done spending money.

Of course, there is one prominent free agent remaining that could pique their interest; Alex Bregman.

The Houston Astros star third baseman remains a free agent just about two weeks from Spring Training gets underway. This assuredly wasn’t what anyone was expecting for one of the best players who was available on the market this winter.

Throughout free agency, it has been reported that Detroit has been showing a lot of interest in him and he was their No. 1 target.

It was easy to see why the Tigers would covet him since Bregman would provide a lot of what the team is looking for on the field and off of it.

They don’t currently have anyone they can comfortably pencil into the lineup every day at third base. His leadership and championship experience would be a major boost for a young squad as well.

Most importantly, he would infuse some power into a lineup that desperately needs it after ranking in the bottom half of nearly all offensive statistics in 2024. The cherry on top is that he provides it from the right side, so he would help balance out the lineup.

However, when taking a look at Bregman’s track record at Comerica Park, some red flags are raised about whether or not he is a good fit.

While his career splits playing at home and on the road aren’t drastic, Detroit is one place where he has not found much success. 

A pull hitter throughout his career, he has certainly benefitted from the short left field porch the Crawford Boxes provide in Houston. He wouldn’t benefit from such a favorable layout with the Tigers.

As shared by David Schoenfield of ESPN, “Comerica might cost him a few cheap home runs, but the added room in the outfield might lead to a few more doubles and base hits. But Bregman hasn't hit well in Detroit in his career: .227/.281/.421 in 21 games -- and remember, for most of those years, the Tigers had bad pitching staffs.”

Turning 31 years old in March, he isn’t quite on the team’s current timeline either. 

Committing a six-year deal worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $28 million annually could be a real blow to a franchise that doesn’t have the deepest of pockets when it comes to handing out top-of-the-market deals.