Detroit Tigers Among Finalists for Star 3B Alex Bregman With Decision Looming
The Detroit Tigers have not yet given up on their pursuit of a superstar this offseason as they are among the finalists for Alex Bregman.
MLB Insider Mark Feinsand reported on Wednesday afternoon that Bregman is believed to be the next big free agent to come to a decision. Feinsand listed the Tigers, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees as the finalists for him.
All teams listed would be understandable destinations for Bregman and are all looking to be competitive next season.
The Astros are the team that the third baseman is coming from and would make sense as a reunion destination.
It has already been a big day for the Red Sox as they won the long-covered race for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.
Since the Yankees lost out on Juan Soto, they have been connected to every big name on the market. They already found their next ace in Max Fried, but are looking for a way to supplement the offensive loss felt by Soto's departure.
Detroit seems like the biggest long shot to bring him in, but is actually a great destination for him with pre-existing relationships already in place.
Current Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was the manager in Houston from 2015 to 2019. That means Hinch was there for the start of Bregman's career. The two spent four years there together and won a World Series.
Both of the sluggers All-Star campaigns came under Hinch and the two have seemingly kept close since their time together came to an end.
Bregman was showing some signs of decline at the start of last year, but it quickly proved to just be a slump as he put together a couple of great months to close out the season.
Overall, he posted a .260/.315/.453 slash line with 26 home runs and 75 RBI. That would put him up there with Kerry Carpetenter and Riley Greene as the best seasons in Detroit.
The Tigers struggled to find consistent production in the hot corner last year as they had a platoon of players taking turns ther. Having someone locked in full time would allow for more flexibility with the utility bats.
As good as Bregman is at the plate, he would also be a massive defensive boost. He is one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball and won his first career Gold Glove for his efforts last season.
