The Detroit Tigers were in hot pursuit of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman this offseason, but despite their efforts, the slugger ended up signing a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.
As it turns out, the inner-workings of Bregman’s deal with Boston appear to have come together at the very last minute.
According to Bregman, the Tigers were actually the frontrunners throughout most of his free agency.
Appearing on Foul Territory, Bregman shared that he and his camp were fully expecting to land in Detroit before the Red Sox swooped in at the eleventh hour.
“We thought we were going somewhere else the entire time,” Bregman admitted. “And then in the last 30 minutes, we talked to Boston and the deal got done.”
That “somewhere else,” Bregman later confirmed, was Detroit.
“We thought we were going to be in Detroit the entire time,” Bregman said. “and then at the last second, Boston kind of came in.”
Detroit entered the offseason with clear intentions to add a marquee bat and had a strong connection to Bregman through Tigers manager AJ Hinch.
The two won a World Series together in Houston in 2017, and Hinch managed Bregman during his rise with the Astros.
“It’s a great relationship,” Bregman said. “I think he’s an amazing manager, great guy. We talk all the time. We were talking all offseason.”
Despite missing out on Bregman, the Tigers still made notable additions.
They signed second baseman Gleyber Torres and brought back pitcher Jack Flaherty, both of whom are expected to play key roles as Detroit looks to build on last season’s surprising playoff push.
The Tigers remain one of the more intriguing teams in the American League Central heading into 2025.
With a strong mix of veteran leadership and young talent – including rising stars like Spencer Torkelson and a rotation led by Tarik Skubal – expectations are climbing.
Still, missing out on Bregman leaves a bit of “what could have been” in the air.
The Tigers will now move forward without the proven middle-of-the-order bat they hoped to bring to Comerica Park.
As for Bregman, he’ll now look to make his mark in Boston – but it’s clear that Detroit came incredibly close to making him the newest face of their franchise.
What are your thoughts on Bregman’s decision to sign with the Red Sox? … Would he have been better off going with Detroit – or possibly another contender such as the Yankees???
