Detroit Tigers Dream Free Agent Target Predicted To Sign With Different AL Team
The hope for the Detroit Tigers headed into free agency was a relentless pursuit of improvement and a willingness to spend after the team proved to ownership they are close to contending this season.
Thus far, things have not exactly panned out that way.
While Alex Cobb and Gleyber Torres are both expected to be meaningful contributors, neither veteran was the huge splash fans were hoping for this winter.
Unsurprisingly, the Tigers were not in on the top-of-the-line starting pitchers, but to this point they have not addressed the glaring need for another star in the lineup either.
This could of course all change if Detroit opens up the checkbook for Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman.
The nine-year veteran has remained unsigned to this point largely because a reunion with the Astros became increasingly unlikely when Houston decided to move in another direction.
Even though the Tigers are one of the top suitors remaining and are reported to still be very interested, there are some who believe Detroit ultimately will not meet the financial compensation that Bregman wants.
Predicting where the top remaining free agents will end up, R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports guessed that Bregman signs with the Boston Red Sox instead.
"... he's reportedly since declined a six-year offer from the Astros worth $156 million that suggests he's aiming even higher," he wrote. "I'm more confident in Boston's willingness to spend than Detroit's, and that's a reasonable determiner if you ask me."
The Tigers were never going to be the team at the forefront of negotiations with Bregman and make the biggest offer out of the gate.
It's just not the style Scott Harris has used when building the team through homegrown talent and low-risk, high-value free agents, so if Bregman does end up in Detroit, it's going to be because they came out of the woodwork in a slow-developing market.
Bregman remaining unsigned signals the Tigers aren't the only team hesitant to hand over a massive contract to a player who turns 31 by the time the season begins and may be on the downside of his career.
The star is still among the best third basemen in baseball, nobody questions that, but the long-term deal at a huge AAV carries a fair amount of risk with it.
The Tigers are doing their due diligence and trying to make sure they spend their money wisely.
If Bregman does wind up inking the type of contract he looks to be seeking, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land in with the Red Sox or another team.
