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The Detroit Tigers officially lost the Alex Bregman sweepstakes this week as the infielder signed a free-agency deal with the Boston Red Sox. But, GM Scott Harris certainly isn't losing sleep over it.
The Tigers offered Bregman a six-year contract worth $171.5 million. He turned it down and inked a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox instead. Harris spoke out on the situation Friday and made it clear that the organization is going to contend either way.
Via MLB.com:
“Was I disappointed [to not sign Bregman]? I wouldn’t characterize my emotions that way,” Harris said Friday morning. “I would say we want players who want to be here.”
“We’re going to be just fine without Alex Bregman,” he continued. “And we still have a clubhouse that just got to the postseason and just beat a team with Alex Bregman, so it clearly can be done. We’ve just got to focus on the guys we have in camp right now and we’ve got to get after it in spring, because we’ve got to get a lot better to be able to compete in this division.”
There was a connection between Bregman and the Tigers due to manager AJ Hinch, who was the skipper for five years when Bregman was a member of the Houston Astros. Harris praised the owners for allowing him to pursue big-time free agents, but he always knew there was a chance the veteran would choose a larger market:
“I say that a lot,” Harris continued, “because I mean it. We want players who want to be Tigers. We made a very compelling offer to Alex Bregman, but he chose to sign somewhere else. That’s fine. We knew that was a possibility throughout this process, and we planned for that outcome. We’re fortunate to be in this spot where we have an owner in Chris [Ilitch] who gives us the flexibility to pursue elite free agents. We’re going to land those guys sometimes, like we did with Jack Flaherty. Sometimes we’re not, and that’s fine.”
The Tigers will look internally for their next third baseman. Andy Ibanez, Jace Jung, and Matt Vierling appear to be the options at the hot corner for Detroit, who broke their nine-year postseason drought last season, losing in the ALDS to the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers should be a competitive ball club once again with a nice blend of youth and experience.
As for Bregman, he gets more money, but the 30-year-old will have to play second base in Boston.
