DETROIT – Let’s be honest about the Alex Bregman situation: The Detroit Tigers made him a fair offer, but he probably made the right choice by going somewhere else.
The Tigers made sure their best offer to Bregman got out to the public as soon as reports surfaced that he had agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox.
Apparently, the deal from the Tigers was for six years and $171.5 million. All throughout free agency we heard that Bregman and agent Scott Boras were holding out for a six- or seven-year contract.
Well, that was on the table, and Bregman took the three-year, $120 million deal from the Red Sox instead.
As a free agent, Bregman had every right to choose where to play. There’s no doubt his offensive skillset fits better at Fenway Park than it does at Comerica.
And it’s not like $28.6 million per year would have been a major raise from the $20 million average annual value he had in Houston. In fact, he made $30.5 million each of the past two years, so in a way, the Tigers' offer would have been a pay cut.
So Bregman took the deal that gave him a $10 million raise, more flexibility (an opt out after one and two years, instead of only after two), and also put him in a better ballpark. It’s hard to blame him.
But you shouldn’t blame the Tigers, either.
Team president Scott Harris had a good read on Bregman’s market. It appears the Tigers were in the mix from start to finish, but there’s only so much he could do if Bregman didn’t see Detroit as a good match.
The Tigers needed a third baseman. A right-handed hitter. A veteran leader.
Bregman was a perfect fit for the Tigers. But the Tigers weren’t a perfect fit for Bregman.
Why players should want to come to Detroit
Do I think Bregman wanted to be in Detroit? No, not really. Reading between the lines, I got a sense throughout free agency that Bregman was constantly leaving the door open for someone to beat the Tigers' offers.
Of course, we’ll never know that for sure. Especially since there are plenty of legit reasons for Bregman to prefer Boston’s offer.
But I won’t submit to the notion that Detroit is an undesirable destination. It was hinted at during the Bregman free agency, and I know it’s going to come up again as attention turns to Nolan Arenado and his no-trade clause.
Why wouldn’t a player want to come to Detroit?
The Tigers are a playoff team with a young, improving roster. A.J. Hinch is one of the best managers in the game, and the organization as a whole is proving its ability to develop players and put them in the best position to succeed.
It’s more obvious on the mound than at the plate, but still -- Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, Kerry Carpenter, and others have become legitimate MLB hitters in this system. The Tigers have also created a culture of development that helped guys like Colt Keith, Kevin McGonigle, Thayron Liranzo, and Josue Briceño skyrocket up prospect rankings.
As an established hitter in his early 30s, Alex Bregman doesn’t need that type of development. But you know what? He still would have been lucky to spend two years in Detroit.
Tigers fans have been starving for a competitive baseball team, and now we’ve got one. It doesn’t hurt that the team is scrappy and exciting. Comerica Park is going to be electric.
And Detroit summers are beautiful. Sure, there might be a few rainouts early in the season, but living here from April to October is about as good as it gets.
Again, I think Bregman ultimately made the right decision by choosing Boston, and the Tigers might someday be glad that he didn’t accept their offer.
But there were times during this saga that I felt Detroit was being painted as an undesirable place to play, and I’ve yet to see any real evidence of that.
Where do Tigers go from here?
I don’t expect the Tigers to land Arenado. It wouldn’t take much to get him from the St. Louis Cardinals, whose primary goal is to get rid of his salary, but the problem is Arenado can block the Tigers with his no-trade clause.
Since Arenado is another guy with modest raw power, I doubt Comerica Park is his preferred destination.
So the Tigers will likely go into the spring with Matt Vierling playing third base against left-handed starters and Jace Jung starting against righties, bumping Vierling to right field.
It’s not a great solution, but maybe a fully healthy Jung will show more of his prospect pedigree in a full season.
Even without Bregman, the Tigers come into the spring as contenders in the AL Central. And that’s not a bad place to be.
