Financial Constraints Could Prevent Detroit Tigers From Landing Dream Player
The Detroit Tigers are coming into the offseason looking to improve after a shockingly great 2024 campaign.
Nobody saw the Tigers coming in 2024, as they went on to have one of the best second halves of a season in a long time. They were able to ride that momentum right into the playoffs, and they defeated the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round.
When looking at the Detroit roster, it was pretty clear that manager A.J. Hinch did a magnificent job finding ways to win games. While he had the luxury of Tarik Skubal pitching every five days, there wasn’t much else in the starting rotation after trading away Jack Flaherty.
This winter, the Tigers will have the opportunity to add to a young roster that achieved a lot in 2024.
While they had a lot of success last year, there are some areas that the team can improve upon. One of which is at third base.
Hitting was an issue at times for Detroit in 2024, as they need to become more consistent if they want to take the next step forward in 2025.
Recently, Jason Beck of MLB.com spoke about Alex Bregman being a great fit for the Tigers. However, he highlighted that financial constraints could hold the franchise back from their dream target.
“While the on-field fit with Bregman is obvious, the financial fit is another matter. The Tigers have not been a team for bidding wars; even under the late owner Mike Ilitch, they were more active finding undervalued or overlooked free agents (Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Kenny Rogers) than outbidding teams for highly-sought talent. There’s a ton of payroll space in Detroit, but the Tigers just got past one long-term deal that didn’t age well (Miguel Cabrera), and still have Javier Báez for three more years. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has been more attracted to shorter-term deals and long-term flexibility, both in Detroit and in his previous job as Giants general manager. He might have to weigh how much he wants to stretch a deal to get Bregman”
Adding the gold glove third baseman would be a really good move for the Tigers for multiple reasons. As a good hitter and fielder, Bregman was able to total an impressive WAR once again last year. With three straight seasons of a WAR over 4.0, the slugger is extremely consistent.
In addition to what he can do on the field, Bregman has a ton of experience in the league and in the playoffs. This can only help a young Tigers team that entered uncharted waters last season.
While he certainly makes sense for Detroit, he is going to be one of the highest paid free agents this offseason wherever he goes. It is very possible that the financial side of things could be the reason why they don’t get their dream target.
