The saga keeps getting stranger now that it’s over.
The Alex Bregman saga continues to be an odd one, and to varying degrees both clubs involved are still coming to terms with it over a month later. From the Detroit Tigers mix of all-in posture combined with a less than aggressive offer, to the mildly awkward situation with Red Sox homegrown star Rafael Devers’ disinterest in moving off of third base, the signing has produced some odd fallout on both sides already.
Bregman and the Boston Red Sox seem like an odd couple that never expected to be together and weren’t really prepared for a deal to actually go through. Meanwhile, the Tigers leadership followed the signing with some comments about only wanting players that really want to be here. Cute, but a little eyeroll worthy when they clearly wanted him badly. Just not badly enough to meet his asking price.
Bregman answered with surprising directness on Wednesday when Foul Territory interviewer Cameron Maybin asked about the offseason. Per Bregman, he and agent Scott Boras thought they were going one place the whole time, and then Boston swooped in with a new offer and the deal got done in a whirlwind. Pressed about which team he was referring to, Bregman hesitated and then admitted he was referring to the Tigers. The surprise in Bregman’s voice as he discussed how his offseason played out brings home how odd a turn of events it was for all involved. Everyone involved was a little caught off guard by how things unfolded. Of course, it’s not as though Bregman was a bystander. He could simply have taken the Tigers offer just as easily as the Tigers could have accepted his counteroffer.
For their part, the Tigers were locked in on Bregman all offseason, and weren’t able to make a deal. Maybe they wouldn’t have tried to sign any of the other notable free agent hitters available anyway, but they had most of their eggs in one basket and came up empty. Certainly none of the other notable free agent hitters had a closer connection to Detroit than Bregman has to AJ Hinch. The fit just seemed ideal in all respects. The trick now is dealing with it.
The Tigers thought they had a potentially decent backup plan that revolved around Jace Jung and Matt Vierling, with other utility infielders chipping in. That plan is off the table to start the season with Jung optioned to minor league camp after struggling at the plate and Vierling still rehabbing a rotator cuff strain they’re scrambling to bridge the gap heading into Opening Day.
The backup plan to the backup plan appears to be a Zack McKinstry-Andy Ibáñez platoon to start the season, with perhaps some Javier Báez and Ryan Kreidler sprinkled in. Meanwhile, Matt Vierling is making progress in rehabbing his rotator cuff strain, and fortunately he seems likely to make it back sometime in April though it isn’t guaranteed.
As for Jace Jung, expected to handle much of the work at third base once Bregman went to Boston, manager AJ Hinch had some very clear commentary on his performance this spring. The infielder struck out 27 percent of the time in 37 spring plate appearances, which is an improvement over his work with the Tigers last year, but obviously not good. He did have a miserable .152 batting average on balls in play, which is unlucky, but the fact remains that he just wasn’t hitting the ball with much authority.
“His timing was off, almost entirely, even the first day,” Hinch said. “I know he ambushed a couple balls to the pull side, but he just didn’t make the adjustment timing-wise to make this team.”
Parker Meadows absence in center field is the big problem, and one the Tigers can’t reasonably be expected to have a great answer for. At full power with Meadows and Vierling, the Tigers can handle it if their run production from the left side of the infield is poor. Those issues become more glaring with those two out of the lineup for the time being.
Probably the best hope to produce on the left side in the absence of Vierling is shortstop Trey Sweeney. The Tigers seem intent on giving him a lot of run this year despite Javier Báez’s return. While his minor league track record at the plate says he’s more of a platoon bat, he’s doesn’t turn 25 for another month and could potentially break out at the plate to a degree with a little better pitch selection. His defense is good enough that he doesn’t have be more than a contributor at the plate to be very valuable to the Tigers this season.
If there’s a positive note, it’s that Báez is having a solid spring so far. The Tigers show no signs of moving on, so it would really help if he can get back to being something close to an average run producer in a limited role. If Báez is just serviceable at the plate in the right matchups, that could help shore up third base and shortstop to a degree until help arrives.
The other hope is that Spencer Torkelson or Justyn-Henry Malloy continues to hit out of the DH position. They’re each having a nice camp, and if they can provide some punch to go with the core lineup of Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, and Colt Keith, they should be able to score enough runs to offset the loss of Meadows until he’s able to return.
No doubt president Scott Harris and his staff are racking their brains for a trade that can help fill the gap. It’s just hard to see any convincing options by that route at the moment and they aren’t likely to force a trade. Perhaps Jung or someone else will rake and it all works out. Maybe they just piece it together until the trade deadline and make a move. Maybe, as was recently suggested on the Days of Roar podcast, Kevin McGonigle comes back good as new and just rakes his way to Toledo by midseason, and he becomes a solution in the second half. That’s a fun one, with infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee as another possible bit of help at third base along the way. Still that’s just optimism, not a an actionable plan right now.
Even without Bregman, there’s a good argument that the Tigers should be better than they were in 2024. They should have the pitching and a strong enough core of hitters to be a more consistently productive offense this year. They just need to find some temporary solutions to avoid stumbling out of the gate. The Tigers proved very adept at finding creative solutions with the pitching staff in 2024. Hopefully they can do the same with center field and the left side of their infield until reinforcements arrive.