DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers are looking to make another run at free agent third baseman Alex Bregman this offseason, according to a report.
Jon Heyman, of the New York Post, said the Tigers are planning to pursue Bregman once again after they nearly landed him before the 2025 season. The Tigers reportedly offered Bregman a six-year deal worth at least $170 million.
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Well, third base is still unresolved for the Tigers a year later. Zach McKinstry was the most common face over at third for Detroit, but in 79 games at the hot corner, he hit just .210 with a .618 OPS.
Andy Ibanez struggled all season and got non-tendered last month, while Jace Jung fell out of the conversation altogether.
The Tigers finished with the worst OPS in the American League from the third base position. Tigers third basemen slashed .221/.288/.340 on the year, with just 11 homers and 22 doubles.
Bregman, meanwhile, was in the MVP conversation before an injury in late May knocked him out for a nearly two months. He ultimately hit .273/.360/.462 across 495 plate appearances, with 18 homers and 28 doubles. He also walked nearly as many times (51) as he struck out (70).
During the Tigers’ postseason press conference, team president Scott Harris named four specific areas for improvement:
- Approach at the plate.
- Make more contact at the plate.
- Improve health and consistency on the mound.
- Get better at breaking young players into the big leagues.
Obviously, Bregman isn’t going to help the Tigers stay healthy on the mound, but he would contribute to the first, second, and fourth goals.
The Tigers offense collapsed late last season and into the playoffs because of strikeouts and unproductive at-bats.
Bregman has some of the best plate discipline in the league -- 95th percentile chase rate, 92nd percentile whiff rate, 88th percentile strikeout rate, and 73rd percentile walk rate.
What do all those metrics mean? Bregman does not strike out or swing at bad pitches, but he does get on base and put together tough at-bats.
That’s exactly what the Tigers need in the middle of their lineup, especially from a right-handed hitter, and especially from a third baseman.
Bregman can also help the Tigers with Harris’ fourth point: breaking young players into the big leagues.
The 31-year-old has won two World Series rings, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. He’s been to three All-Star games and nine-straight postseasons.
We all know Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, is simply trying to pump up his client by publicly touting his “leadership,” but honestly, there is something to that when you’re talking about a 162-game grind.
On paper, Bregman is the perfect person to have in the dugout as the Tigers prepare to promote top prospects Kevin McGonigle and Max Anderson.
Bregman is a solid defensive infielder with a great approach at the plate and a long history of winning. What else could the Tigers hope to instill in their young players?
In my “dream Tigers offseason article” (which has already fallen apart because Gleyber Torres and Shota Imanaga both took qualifying offers), I cited an ESPN projection that Bregman would receive a five-year, $160 million deal this offseason.
If the Tigers were willing to pay him $170 million over seven years last offseason, they could be willing to up the average annual value a bit to get an even shorter deal.
Harris already outlined exactly what he wants the Tigers to accomplish this offseason, and Bregman checks all of those boxes while also filling their needs of a right-handed hitter and third baseman.
This seems like a perfect match, so it’s no surprise the Tigers are reportedly interested again.