The Tigers have been linked to Alex Bregman for a lot of the offseason, and reviews indicated that they have been one of many finalists for the infielder’s providers earlier than Bregman signed a three-year, $120MM take care of the Pink Sox earlier this week. It will seem that Detroit might need been the highest bidder by way of pure {dollars} — Bregman was supplied a six-year, $171.5MM contract that included an opt-out clause after the 2026 season, however he as an alternative took the shorter-term deal from Boston that features opt-outs after each the 2025 and 2026 campaigns.
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris informed reporters (together with Chris McCosky of the Detroit Information) that he wasn’t disenchanted by Bregman’s resolution to go to Boston. “We made a compelling provide to Alex Bregman however he selected to signal some other place. That’s tremendous. We knew that was a risk all through the method, and we deliberate for that end result,” Harris mentioned.
The truth that the Tigers made such a push for Bregman was itself notable, because it represented the primary time since Harris was employed in September 2022 that Detroit actually appeared keen to stretch the price range on a long-term free agent dedication. Jack Flaherty (whose deal accommodates a participant choice for 2026) and Kenta Maeda are the one free brokers to obtain even a two-year contract throughout Harris’ comparatively temporary tenure. Harris praised crew proprietor Chris Illitch for giving “us the flexibleness to chase some key free brokers,” so the technique is outwardly much less about cash than it’s about Harris’ oft-stated want to construct primarily across the Tigers’ younger core.
“We don’t need to be that group that’s determined to signal a particular free agent or hinging on our present plan or our future plans on a sure free agent,” Harris mentioned. “We’ve got to be depending on the younger expertise we’re buying and growing….I’ll say we really feel like what we did this offseason, we made the strikes we wanted to make. We supplemented this younger, rising group with guys who could make the crew higher with out blocking our younger gamers.”
“It didn’t make sense for us, earlier than or after Alex, to pivot to somebody who would simply take our cash. In current winters, we’ve seen groups persevering with to pivot till somebody takes their cash. It might win a press launch, however it might not truly push your group ahead. We have been very acutely aware of that all through the winter and we have been very focused concerning the gamers we needed so as to add to this group.”
Past the reunion with Flaherty, the Tigers additionally signed Alex Cobb to additional bolster the rotation, and added veteran relievers Tommy Kahnle and John Brebbia on one-year offers. On the position-player facet, Gleyber Torres was signed to a one-year, $14MM contract to step in as the brand new on a regular basis second baseman, pushing Colt Keith into a primary base function.
The precise-handed hitting Torres additionally offers Detroit a bit extra stability inside a lineup that also fairly heavy with left-handed bats. Buying a marquee righty-swinger like Bregman would have additional helped with that stability and naturally boosted the offense as an entire, and Harris hasn’t closed the door on nonetheless addressing this want.
“There hasn’t been a ton of choices for us so as to add a second right-handed bat,” the PBO mentioned. “We don’t suppose there’s going to be one coming by free company. We’re going to discover commerce choices however we really feel actually good concerning the group we have now, and we expect it’s a group that’s going to proceed to get higher.”
With this inner focus in thoughts, Harris cited Jace Jung, Matt Vierling, and Andy Ibanez because the chief in-house candidates for third base work. “It’s going to be a contest in Spring Coaching” to resolve precisely how the taking part in time may be divvied up, and Harris famous that “we have now a extremely proficient supervisor [A.J. Hinch] who’s going to search out the appropriate matchup for these guys.”
