For the second straight year, the Detroit Tigers have struck out on one of their biggest free agent targets, third baseman Alex Bregman.
Last year, the Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs were the three finalists for the former Houston Astros’ services, with the BoSox prevailing with a three-year, $120 million contract with opt-outs after 2025 and 2026. The Tigers had reportedly offered him a six-year, $171.5 million contract with an opt-out after 2026, which just was not enough to get the deal
done.
So when Bregman exercised his 2025 option in Boston, it felt like it was going to be deja vu all over again. And it mostly was, except for the fact that the Tigers were reportedly never really in the running to bring the third baseman’s talents to the Motor City.
Harris and Co. took more of a “wait and see” approach this time, and the Cubbies swooped in with their handsome $215 million contract over six years with no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause. So that is that.
Many Tigers fans are getting the feeling that management would be perfectly happy to run things back again with just the modicum of modifications made to the roster during the offseason. While that might be the case, that will not stop us from pining for the best players money can buy.
So who is left on your list? Let us know in the comments below.
