Tigers Potential Dream Free Agent Target Officially Opts Out of Contract
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The Detroit Tigers are officially getting their chance to bid on who could be their dream free agent target this upcoming winter.
With the World Series finally over and the offseason officially getting started this week, news of players making option decisions started rolling out, and a major domino fell right away. According to numerous reports including Jeff Passan of ESPNBoston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman has exercised his opt-out clause and, for the second year in a row, is officially a free agent.
As Detroit tries to navigate the offseason, their crippling need at third base is going to weigh heavily, and another run at Bregman could very much be in the cards.
Tigers Failed On Pursuit of Bregman Last Year
All winter long in what was an agonizingly long decision process for the superstar, Detroit was linked over and over again to Bregman. Ultimately, it was their hesitancy to provide opt-outs -- the kind that make him available again now -- after the first year of the deal that ruined their chances.
Bregman has even been on record as saying he believed all winter long that he was going to the Tigers until the Red Sox swept in with the final offer, and he was missed dearly by Detroit this season, as he excelled for Boston.
Bregman Would Have Been Perfect Fit on This Year's Tigers Team
In 2025, not only did Detroit have a revolving door at third base which wound up providing some of the worst offensive production in baseball as a positional group, but they were clearly missing a piece on offense overall as well.
Someone like Bregman -- who has made a career off being one of the best pure hitters in the game -- would have been absolutely perfect to stop the bleeding during their late-season collapse and complete ineptitude during the Game 5 ALDS marathon defeat.
When the Tigers were looking for a hit to bust them out of a slump as a team, it just never seemed to be found this year. Bringing in Bregman -- who slashed .273/.360/.462 for the Red Sox this year -- could have changed that for Detroit.
Can Tigers Actually Land Bregman This Time Around?
After another impressive campaign, which answered a lot of offensive concerns some have had about Bregman, the price isn't going down any more than it was last year. Perhaps, however the term -- which was what gave Detroit the most pause -- will be a year shorter and force the Tigers into not as long of a commitment.
Bregman wound up turning down a six-year deal for over $170 million from Detroit, but if a similar offer was made a year later, he may end up accepting.
With a window for the Tigers that may be as wide open in 2026 as ever, aggressive moves must be made to capitalize and try to win now. Getting a second shot at Bregman and actually landing him this time might just be the move they need to get over the hump.
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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.