It's Becoming 'Highly Unlikely' Detroit Tigers Dream Target Gets His Megadeal
The Detroit Tigers would love to land Alex Bregman.
That has been the continuous story throughout the offseason with the Houston Astros seemingly ready to move on from the franchise legend following the moves they have made thus far.
Bregman is exactly what the Tigers need.
Not only would his World Series-winning pedigree be a perfect addition to this young clubhouse, but he also would take over at third base, a position that isn't quite as solidified as others based on some question marks surrounding top prospect Jace Jung and the secondary options of Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez.
But, there is one hang-up to a seemingly perfect match.
The Tigers don't want to pay Bregman the $200 million he's looking to receive.
That's been the roadblock between the two sides, and with him being the best third baseman on the market, it was long seen as a foregone conclusion a team out there would extend him a megadeal.
However, the longer this goes on, the more it's becoming unlikely he'll get that amount of money, something that is a huge turn of events for Detroit.
"If any team had that type of offer on the table, Bregman would've already accepted it. Therefore, it's highly unlikely that Bregman will sign for $200 million," writes Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press.
This could shift things in favor of the Tigers.
If Bregman isn't going to get the amount of money he's looking for, he might as well play for a manager he has familiarity with and sign with a team that has a bright future.
So, with total amount of money the star third baseman could get starting to diminish, what could his timeline look like going forward?
Petzold lays out two scenarios; one that benefits Detroit and one that would hurt them.
"If Bregman signs before Feb. 1, he will likely sign a player-friendly contract with more years and higher total value. If Bregman signs after Feb. 1, he will likely sign a team-friendly contract with less years and less money, but that type of contract structure would invite more teams into the bidding and could reduce the Tigers' chances of signing him," he writes.
That puts a lot of pressure on Scott Harris to get this done before that date.
Superagent Scott Boras is known to be stubborn when trying to secure a contract for his clients he believes they deserve, something that was evident last winter when multiple players he represents signed late in the process.
But after some of them had disastrous seasons, it seemed like he changed his approach this cycle.
That's why it's so surprising to see Bregman still on the market.
For the Tigers, that's beneficial.
They've been able to keep their hard line in the sand when it comes to the amount of money they're willing to pay, while also still having a chance to sign their dream target based on the lack of interest surrounding him.
It's now up to Harris to work with Boras and Bregman to get something done that works for both sides.
