Some free agent decisions don't end up being particularly interesting.
But with Alex Bregman this offseason, things could get very intriguing.
Bregman opted out of his contract (three years, $120 million) with the Boston Red Sox, who are expected to remain in the race to bring him back on a new contract.
But last offseason, the Detroit Tigers nearly landed Bregman instead. And they likely will go after him again.
MLB.com's staff took a survey of 46 writers to predict where free agents will land. Of that, 43% of votes were for Red Sox and 37% were for Tigers.
"Bregman opted out of his Red Sox contract, but a plurality of our voters believe he will return to Beantown. Bregman inked a three-year, $120 million contract with Boston last February," MLB.com writes. "However, he admitted that he was 'really close' to signing with the Tigers prior to the 2025 season, and many of our voters think Detroit will reel in Bregman this time."
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Other teams that received votes were the Cubs, Yankees, Astros, Mariners, Phillies and Royals.
But it does seem to be a two-horse race.
"The 31-year-old third baseman was the rock of the 2025 Red Sox offense," MLB.com writes. "Despite missing about six weeks during the middle of the season with a right quad strain, he batted.273 with 18 homers and an.822 OPS over 114 games. Bregman once again displayed solid defense at the hot corner (+3 Outs Above Average) and quickly became a leader inside Boston’s clubhouse."
That paragraph certainly points to a player the Red Sox wouldn't be happy to lose.
The reason Bregman opted out of his contract was the amount of deferred money on the deal. If Boston will pay Bregman up front this time around, he may very well stay put. But not if the Tigers have something to say about it.
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