Reports indicated during last offseason that the Detroit Tigers were interested in Alex Bregman.
On the surface, signing someone of Bregman’s caliber makes a ton of sense for the Tigers, as they need an infielder and a right-handed bat.
Not only would Bregman give them a right-handed presence, but he’s one of the best in baseball.
The fit just seems too obvious for Detroit, and while when there’s smoke, there could be fire, Ryan Finkelstein doesn’t expect that. He didn’t have the Tigers landing Bregman this time around, predicting the star infielder will instead sign with the Boston Red Sox for five years and $155 million.
“Last year, the Detroit Tigers offered Alex Bregman a six-year, $171.5 million deal. He reportedly asked for an opt-out in that deal after 2025, but the Tigers were only willing to put the opt-out after 2026. Bregman then asked for the Tigers to up the total money on the deal, but they declined.
“He instead chose to sign a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox, with $60 million deferred, bringing the present money value of the deal to just over $31 million per year for luxury tax purposes,” he wrote.
As everyone knows with the Tigers, it’s always fair to question whether ownership is truly all-in to win.
Unlike the Red Sox, Detroit still has to prove to the baseball world that it is willing to spend to land a player of Bregman’s status.
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