Detroit Tigers Are Still Very Interested in Alex Bregman According to Reports
Despite the fact the market is taking a long time to play out, the Detroit Tigers are still very interested in signing Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman.
As the two-time All-Star continues to take things patiently and wait for the mega offer both he and his agent Scott Boras both clearly feel he's worth, the Tigers have done exactly as expected and kept Bregman on the back burner, still showing interest without being extremely aggressive.
A slow-developing market like this for the two-time World Series champion was probably the only way Detroit was going to be heavily involved.
In all likelihood, if it were up to Bregman, he would have secured the $200 million deal he is looking for from the Astros early on in the process and remained with the only MLB franchise he's known through his nine-year career.
But Houston went another direction, and with a reunion out of the cards, the path is more clear for the Tigers to land him.
According to the latest reporting from Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, the two sides have been working on a deal and progress is being made.
"Mutual interest remains, but there is a gap in perceived value between the two sides as negotiations continue, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly on the situation," Petzold wrote. "Notable progress has been made since the start of the offseason, particularly in the past month."
After Detroit signed veteran second-baseman Gleyber Torres to a one-year deal and added at least one right-handed bat to the lineup - though the righty addition doesn't mean much given he'll be replacing Spencer Torkelson's spot in the lineup - Scott Harris was asked about Bregman specifically.
Unsurprisingly, he sidestepped the question.
"I can't comment on any current free agent," Harris said via Petzold. "I can just tell you we are already working to continue to get better."
Bregman and the Tigers have always felt like a natural fit, but it was never going to happen without compromise, likely from both sides.
In order to land a veteran presence who has a decorated career and winning mentality, Detroit was always going to have to stretch their budget, perhaps more than they were comfortable with.
For Bregman, with likely one last real chance to cash in as a free agent, barring opt outs in any contract he gets, playing in the Motor City under his old manager A.J. Hinch likely wouldn't be at the $200 million figure he was initially searching for this winter.
But with Petzold reporting the two sides are making progress on a deal, perhaps they can come together sooner rather than later on a number that makes sense both for the team and their hopeful new third baseman.
