Report: Alex Bregman Rejected Tigers' 6-Year, $171.5M Contract to Sign with Red Sox

Alex Bregman's extended free agency came to an end on Wednesday when he agreed to a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, but there was another team that made a longer contract offer for the two-time All-Star.

Per The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey, Bregman passed on a six-year, $171.5 million offer from the Detroit Tigers.

It's a bit surprising that Bregman didn't take the Tigers' offer because USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported on Feb. 6 that he was still seeking a deal for six or seven years.

There are some benefits to the contract Bregman got from the Red Sox that may not have been available in the Tigers' proposal. One of them being he has opt outs after each of the first two seasons, so he could potentially become a free agent next offseason at the age of 31.

Per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, the Tigers' offer included an opt-out after the 2026 season, but they didn't want to include one after the first season.

Boston will be paying Bregman $40 million per season, compared to $28.6 million annually from the Tigers. He is one of five players making at least $40 million per season, along with Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Judge.

By comparison, the $28.6 million annual salary from the Tigers would have put Bregman just ahead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($28.5 million) for the 19th-richest in MLB.

There were some breadcrumbs that suggested Bregman could end up in Detroit. The Tigers are managed by A.J. Hinch, who previously managed Bregman with the Houston Astros.

Detroit also seemed poised to make a big splash in free agency after a surprise playoff run last season with a roster led by AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers did bring back Jack Flaherty in free agency after dealing him to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the trade deadline last season, but they didn't do much to address a lineup that finished 19th in runs scored and 29th in on-base percentage in 2024.