The Detroit Tigers brought back starting pitcher Jack Flaherty on a two-year deal this past weekend, and fans were elated. Wishes were answered and promises were finally fulfilled. Now fans are hoping for more.
With spring training quickly approaching, there was a feeling that the Tigers would go yet another offseason without making the splash fans had been waiting for. But the Flaherty deal has renewed faith, and while some are writing off further spending, it actually makes more sense for Detroit to invest more.
Rumors of Alex Bregman's arrival in Motown have been abundant all offseason, and there is newfound hope for that to come true.
Recently, the Tigers have been in a race with the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros for Bregman's services. But things have since gotten more intriguing. The Astros GM has come out and said that they "lost Bregman" as he spoke in the past tense at a Tuesday luncheon, and the Red Sox have reopened discussions with the St. Louis Cardinals about third baseman Nolan Arenado. If we're to believe those developments, that leaves the Tigers, Cubs, and Blue Jays in the mix. There have been rumblings that the Tigers have the best offer on the table, but both the Cubs and Jays have been aggressive this offseason with other moves they have made.
But if you look at the payoll situations, the Tigers have the most room to spend before getting hit with luxury tax penalties. They also have less uncertainty with their rosters — the Cubs have Kyle Tucker hitting free agency after 2025 and the Blue Jays have the same with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
The Tigers have had an obvious hole at third base for some time and Bregman seems to be the answer. It is time for the Tigers to pull the trigger and just do this thing. Granted, the last long-term, high-value contract that the team took part in was that of Javy Baez ... and every Tigers fan knows how that is going. We can see where some caution is coming from, but this is a new regime with a new identity and new personnel.
Detroit Tigers fans should be encouraged by the Jack Flaherty signing
The idea that the Tigers may be content with mediocrity is starting to fade. The question now is whether ownership will allow the team to continue building on the relatively solid core they have already built. A hypothetical top four in the lineup of Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene, Alex Bregman, and Kerry Carpenter is a solid start. Sure, each player has flaws, but they complement each other extremely well.
Many thought the free agents in this class didn't take the Tigers seriously, and it almost came true. Luckily, Flaherty changed that narrative, and hopefully, Bregman will follow in his shoes, assuming the Tigers are willing to keep the spending going, especially with Kenta Maeda coming off the books in 2026 and Flaherty's contract structured to take a bigger payroll hit in 2025. Detroit's long-term financial picture is looking healthy, so a long-term deal for Bregman shouldn't be a problem.