The Detroit Tigers were reported to be all in on landing Alex Bregman, but one MLB insider thinks otherwise.
Ken Rosenthal: Tigers unlikely to spend on Alex Bregman
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who was a guest on Foul Territory, he doesn’t envision the Tigers truly putting their money where their mouth is to acquire the All-Star third baseman this winter (h/t Tigers MLB Report):
“Oh he’s a great fit for the Tigers, and I just don’t expect the Tigers to spend. Scott Harris, since he’s taken over as GM, I believe his biggest contract for a free agent is $24 million. Something like that. It’s low. And the signings that they’ve had so far, both one-year, $15 million. Alex Cobb and Gleyber Torres. Now it makes sense to me that they would go big for an Alex Bregman right now,” Rosenthal said before juxtaposing the dropoff in the franchise’s spending in recent years.
Tigers have played it safe regarding their payroll of late
Right now, Detroit has a $71.89 million payroll table for next season and a projected $106.86 million payroll by Spotrac. If they give Bregman the $30 million he’s expected to earn on an annual basis to bring him to the Motor City, they’d near $150 million in salaries.
The Tigers have only exceeded $120 million in payroll twice over the last seven seasons. They exceeded that number once under Harris’ leadership back in 2022, his first year in the job. While they could very well do so again in order to build upon their playoff roster and strengthen their infield, it would remain to be seen if they’ll capitulate to the New Mexico native’s financial demands.
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Bregman would be major boost for Tigers or Red Sox
Bregman is worth the money he’s seeking. The 30-year-old is still in his prime years, coming off of his first Gold Glove Award-winning campaign where he led all MLB third basemen in every primary fielding category save errors, while also having registered 26 home runs at the plate.
As for the Red Sox, they’ve made some of the biggest moves of this offseason. Boston traded for All-Star lefty hurler Garrett Crochet, 2024 World Series hero Walker Buehler, and flamethrower reliever Aroldis Chapman. Adding Bregman to their hot corner would only increase their chances of regaining control of the American League East division next season.