The Detroit Tigers have often been linked to Alex Bregman over the last year. Dating back to the 2024-2025 offseason, the Tigers were in on the Bregman sweepstakes before he signed with the Boston Red Sox.
In the build-up to the MLB trade deadline, before the Red Sox turned their season around, Bregman was a popular trade candidate, and the Tigers were once again among the teams interested.
Now a free agent again, the Tigers and Bregman continued to be linked to one another. For MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Tigers' interest in Bregman received a noteworthy update.
Tigers' interest in Alex Bregman receives 'priority' update from MLB insider
"Detroit continues to be connected to Alex Bregman," Feinsand writes, "though pitching -- both rotation and bullpen -- appears to be a bigger priority for the Tigers."
While hearing that the Tigers are still linked to Bregman is good news for the two to finally agree to terms, the second half of this report from Feinsand doesn't make the outlook for a deal any better.
There's interest, but with the Tigers prioritizing the pitching market, in both the starting rotation and the bullpen, the chances of a Bregman deal are in limbo.
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He could still wind up coming to Detroit after a year of the two sides being linked to one another, but for now, the Tigers are looking towards the rotation and the bullpen for their first offseason acquisitions.
Feinsand's report doesn't shut down the possibility of a Bregman deal, nor does it make any special note about the chances of a contract being worked out at some point. But it reveals that Detroit's front office doesn't view Bregman as the priority this winter.
While signing a player like Ranger Suarez, Michael King, Pete Fairbanks, or another starter is exciting, this Bregman free agency update is a bittersweet one. He's not the priority, but still in the cards for Detroit this offseason.
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