Latest On Tigers, Alex Bregman

The Tigers made a strong push to sign Alex Bregman last offseason, offering the third baseman a six-year, $171.5MM deal (with some deferred money) that included an opt-out clause for Bregman following the 2026 season.  With Bregman back on the market this winter, the Tigers are again in the mix, but in more of a “lukewarm” fashion, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

This more or less echoes Petzold’s last report on Bregman from earlier this month, and “the Tigers haven’t shown any new movement” in subsequent weeks, a source tells Petzold in his latest piece.  Since Detroit was apparently the only team to offer Bregman a contract longer than four years last year, Petzold suggests the Tigers may be trying to leverage this interest into seeing if they could possibly wait out the rest of Bregman’s market.

The Blue Jays, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox are Bregman’s other known public suitors, and Petzold adds the detail that Chicago and Boston “haven’t shown a willingness to offer a long-term contract.”  This was the case last winter as well, as the Cubs reportedly offered Bregman a four-year deal (with multiple opt-outs) in the $115MM-$120MM range, and the third baseman ended up signing a three-year, $120MM deal with the Sox that allowed him to opt out after each of the first two seasons.

Bregman is entering his age-32 campaign, and he hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs over 495 plate appearances for Boston in 2025.  His season was marred by a quad strain that sidelined him for just under seven weeks, as well as a deep slump over the last five weeks of the season.  These flaws notwithstanding, Bregman’s hot start earned him his third career All-Star nod, and his veteran influence within the young Red Sox clubhouse was heavily praised.

It was an altogether solid year for Bregman, and an across-the-board improvement over his 2024 slash line.  However, it may not have been the type of standout campaign that inspires a team to make the type of five- or six-year offer it wasn’t willing to make last offseason, though Bregman isn’t tied to a qualifying offer this time around.

A few other factors complicate Bregman’s market.  Bo Bichette and Kazuma Okamoto are still free agents, and Okamoto’s posting window is up on January 4.  It could be that the teams in on Okamoto (including both the Red Sox and Blue Jays, as per reports) could be first waiting to see where he lands before moving on other infield targets.  Boston and Toronto have also each shown interest in free agent Bo Bichette and trade candidate Ketel Marte, and moving Marte’s contract might be Arizona’s first step towards freeing up enough payroll space to go after Bregman.

While Bichette is thought to be the Blue Jays’ priority and Bregman perhaps Boston’s preferred target, the two teams have been connected to so many infielders that the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Cubs could stand out since it seems like Bregman is the only big-name infielder on their radar.  Chicago’s offseason has been dominated by multiple bullpen additions and reports linking the Cubs to multiple free agent starters, but there hasn’t been a ton of buzz about any major position-player adds to replace Kyle Tucker.  That said, the Cubs also met with Pete Alonso during the Winter Meetings, so it isn’t as if the team is closing itself off from a pursuit of a premium bat.

As Petzold notes, there is certainly a scenario where Bregman’s other suitors all either stand pat or make other acquisitions, leaving the Tigers as perhaps the only club still open to giving Bregman a longer-term deal.  Depending on how things play out, Bregman and agent Scott Boras could conceivably pivot to another shorter-term, higher average annual value type of contract with an opt-out or two.  Bregman didn’t sign with the Red Sox last winter until mid-February, which could be a sign that Bregman is happy waiting until he gets an acceptable offer, or he might prefer more stability this time rather than another protracted stay in free agency.

Since the Tigers have yet to sign a free agent to a deal longer than two years in the Scott Harris era, Motown fans would prefer that the club is a little more proactive or aggressive in finally landing a big target.  Being patient with Bregman naturally creates the risk that he’ll just sign elsewhere, leaving Detroit now having to play catchup if the team wants to make a significant lineup upgrade.  The Tigers are one of the teams to explore the idea of trading for Marte, so that might present some type of alternative if Marte is also still in Arizona when Bregman comes off the board.