Bleacher Report gets free agency conversation started Tigers fans want no part of

Are the Detroit Tigers planning to make a massive splash in free agency? Some feel that president of baseball operations Scott Harris wasn’t aggressive enough at the trade deadline. Amid the criticism, Harris reminded everyone that he’s not a fan of weakening his farm system for the sake of short-term fixes.

In Harris’s defense, a blockbuster deal may not have been necessary. The Tigers have one of baseball’s best records over the last calendar year. Detroit entered Tuesday with an eight-game cushion in the American League Central. All is well.

Still, with fellow AL contenders like the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros going all-out at the deadline, analysts like ESPN’s Karl Ravech feel that Harris didn’t put enough of his chips on the table, and that even a notable acquisition like Kyle Finnegan wasn’t enough.

The outcome of the 2025 postseason for Detroit could validate Harris’s prudent deadline approach; it could also validate his critics. Then again, Harris has described his goal as getting to the playoffs every year. Sustained winning — not a one- or two-season peak — is the vision driving his decisions. 

That didn’t stop Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller from involving Harris’s Tigers in a bold free agency prediction on Monday. Miller forecasted that Detroit will sign a Boston Red Sox third baseman who was just named an All-Star for the third time in his career.

“Alex Bregman signed a three-year, $120M contract this past winter, but he can opt out either this winter or next if he so chooses,” Miller wrote. “If he even remotely maintains what has been easily his most impressive OPS since nearly winning AL MVP in 2019, it doesn't take a leap of faith to assume he will re-enter free agency. It doesn't mean he's unhappy in Boston. It just means he can almost certainly get more than the $80M left on his contract by re-opening the door to whomever wants to be the highest bidder. … And if Bregman does change teams, Detroit might be the best bet.”

“To some extent, it hinges on if/when/why the Tigers get bounced this October,” Miller continued. “However, there's still the connection with Tigers manager AJ Hinch that made everyone believe the Tigers had a shot at signing him this past winter, and third base has been one of Detroit's weakest spots all season.”

Miller ultimately predicted that Bregman will opt out and sign a four-year, $128 million deal with the Tigers. However, Miller reiterated that Bregman will have other, powerful bidders vying for his services, most notably the Red Sox. “It's entirely possible Boston could be that high bidder,” Miller asserted. “The (Philadelphia) Phillies could also be a candidate.”

Entering Tuesday, Bregman was slashing .297/ .371/ .537/ .908 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs in 259 at-bats this season. 

The same Tigers fans shaking their heads at Harris’s deadline will likely scoff at Miller’s prediction. Why would a front office so turned off by expensive veterans — to the extent of possibly letting Tarik Skubal walk — gift a colossal deal to anyone north of 30 years old, especially after he just turned them down? There’s also a strong chance that Boston won’t let Bregman stray, as noted by Miller. Either way, Tigers fans are sick of hearing about Bregman and they do not want this can of worms opened again.

Bregman-to-Detroit is an unlikely scenario that would only grow in feasibility if the Tigers are surprisingly eliminated in their first series this postseason. Even then, Harris might remain unmoved, satisfied that Detroit qualified for playoff baseball and is in great position to do so again in 2026.