Alex Bregman reveals how close he was to signing with Tigers in free agency

Remember when Alex Bregman becoming the next third baseman for the Detroit Tigers felt like a foregone conclusion?

In a way, it feels like ancient history; but it was really just last month that the Tigers learned that they hadn't reeled in the big fish in free agency after their months-long pursuit.

Bregman ultimately agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, choosing to go with higher AAV and an opt-out after the 2025 season instead of the six year, $171.5 million offer with an opt-out after 2026 that the Tigers had offered.

It was a heartbreaking end to the saga for Detroit. But, to their credit, the Tigers managed to stay in the mix for Bregman up until the end – the very end.

Alex Bregman reveals how close he was to signing with Tigers in free agency

Losing out in the Bregman free agency sweepstakes was already a hard pill for Tigers fans to swallow. It became even harder when Matt Vierling went on the injured list and Jace Jung was assigned to Triple-A Toledo to start the season, leaving Detroit without a clear answer at third base just days before Opening Day.

Meanwhile, Bregman has been thriving at Red Sox camp, essentially locking down the starting third base job and slashing .333/.447/.722 at the plate with three home runs and six RBI in 36 at-bats. It was already painful enough for Tigers fans, but Bregman's latest comments as he reflected on his first free agency experience just added salt to the wound.

In a recent appearance on "Foul Territory," Bregman was initially vague in his response to the question of which team he believed he was going to sign with in free agency. Ultimately, he revealed the truth, confirming Tigers fans' worst fears.

"We thought we were going to be in Detroit the entire time, honestly," Bregman said. "And then at the last second, Boston kind of came in."

Surely, Bregman's claim that Boston swooped in "at the last second" had to be an exaggeration ... right? As it turns out, it really wasn't.

"It was kind of crazy, honestly," Bregman said. "Met with a lot of teams and then honestly everything just happened in like the last 30 minutes. It was kind of rapid fire."

In other words, the Tigers were a mere 30 minutes away from landing Bregman. That's it. They lost out to the deep-pocketed Red Sox at the eleventh hour and are now left with nothing but question marks at the hot corner. It sure would be nice to have a Gold Glove-winning third baseman and two-time World Series champion on their roster right about now.

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