Latest Rumors on Alex Bregman and Tigers, What Are Top Landing Spots in Free Agency?

One year after their free-agency flirtation, Alex Bregman and the Detroit Tigers could find themselves back in each other's orbit with the winter meetings underway in Orlando.

Even Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported on Monday that the Tigers "like" Bregman, but their interest in the three-time All-Star is considered "lukewarm" right now.

The Tigers made Bregman a six-year, $171.5 million contract offer last winter, but he turned it down in favor of a three-year, $120 million deal from the Boston Red Sox that contained opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

Given that Bregman's market didn't seem to develop like he hoped as a first-time free agent after the 2024 season, the structure of Boston's contract allowed him to hit the market again this offseason to cash in with a deal that could be closer to the $200 million he was reportedly seeking at this time last year.

There are other potential suitors in the mix for Bregman. The Athletic's Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma reported on Dec. 4 that the Chicago Cubs, who were another team that pursued him last year, are once again showing interest in the star third baseman.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted the Red Sox are also hoping to retain Bregman.

If Bregman's goal is to secure a lucrative long-term deal from an organization ready to compete for a championship, the Tigers might be climbing an uphill battle given that their continue to be rumblings about a potential Tarik Skubal trade.

Even if the Tigers don't trade Skubal now or during the season, they seem to be at serious risk of losing him as a free agent next offseason given that he could reasonably seek a deal worth more than Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers to become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB.

Bregman, who will turn 32 on March 30, hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 homers in 114 games for the Red Sox in 2025. He missed 44 games due to a quad injury suffered on May 23 that seemed to hinder his performance.

After posting a .299/.385/.553 slash line in his first 53 games, Bregman hit .250/.338/.386 in 63 games upon returning to the lineup on July 11.

Given how well Bregman played prior to the injury, any team that signs him could feel confident he will remain at an All-Star level for the foreseeable future.