As the end of December quickly approaches, it should come as no surprise that free agent Alex Bregman has not signed yet. The Boston Red Sox and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow are hoping for a reunion with their former third baseman.
Bregman is a Scott Boras client, which means that he is in no hurry to put pen to paper. Last season, Bregman didn’t sign with Boston until right before Spring Training in February. Clearly, Boston and other teams would like an answer well before that this year.
The teams most linked to Bregman, along with the Red Sox, are the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Detroit Tigers. The latter seems like a long shot, but a Tigers insider revealed an update that involved Detroit.
Detroit Tigers Insider Says They Are Not in the Mix for Alex Bregman, Yet
Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Tigers are not in the Bregman sweepstakes, yet. Why not yet?
“The Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks have been active in the Bregman sweepstakes, but the Tigers haven’t shown any new movement, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press on condition of anonymity because they’re not permitted to speak publicly. The interest from the Tigers remains lukewarm, just as it has all offseason, with eight weeks until the first game of spring training,” wrote Petzold.
Lukewarm is interest, no matter how serious it is. Petzold said not to count the Tigers out yet, and they appear to be in a waiting game to see what happens and how things play out.
“The Tigers appear to be operating in wait-and-see mode as part of an opportunistic approach in free agency after already signing three pitchers to boost the bullpen: Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and Drew Anderson. If Bregman’s market collapses by mid-January, the Tigers could re-enter the mix by putting the only long-term offer on the table,” Petzold wrote.
There are questions surrounding the future of two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. He has one year remaining on his contract, and the future is questionable in the Motor City. Detroit is in win-now mode, and adding a bat like Bregman makes sense. Ryan Finklestein of Just Baseball predicted Bregman would get a five-year, $155 million contract.
In 2025, Bregman slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. He made the American League All-Star team. Signing with Detroit also reunites Bregman with his former manager in Houston, A.J. Hinch.
How Long Will Red Sox Wait for Alex Bregman?
Breslow and the Red Sox have a decision to make in terms of how long they’ll wait out Bregman. If they decide to move on and target someone in a trade, then, according to Petzold, that’s where the Tigers could come swooping in.
“The Blue Jays sign Kyle Tucker and re-sign Bo Bichette, the Red Sox trade for Isaac Paredes or Brendan Donovan, the Cubs stick with Matt Shaw or pivot to Eugenio Suárez, and the Diamondbacks refuse to trade Ketel Marte,” Petzold wrote.
That’s a lot that has to happen for Bregman to end up in Detroit, but anything is possible. However, the Tigers’ interest seems like it’s more than just lukewarm.
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