MLB insider predicts Tigers trade deadline blockbuster fans desperately don't want

The Red Sox might be trying to pretend that they didn't throw away their season by trading Rafael Devers, but they basically threw away their season by trading Rafael Devers. Despite Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow predicting that Boston would win more games in the aftermath, they've fallen below .500 and have lost seven of their last 10 since the trade.

It's led to questions about whether or not the Red Sox will be sellers at the trade deadline. Rumors had already kicked up about Jarren Duran and Walker Buehler before the Devers deal, but another key Red Sox could potentially be on the chopping block: Alex Bregman.

The Tigers obviously have history with Bregman — history that hasn't left Detroit fans with a lot of fond feelings toward a guy we were once basically begging to come to the team. But that hasn't stopped the speculation; Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN put Bregman at No. 1 on their trade deadline big board, and listed the Tigers as the No. 2 destination for him in the 10% chance he gets traded.

Bob Nightengale threw some more fuel on that fire on Wednesday, when he reported that the Tigers would be "all in" if Bregman is shopped at the deadline.

Bob Nightengale says Tigers will be "all in" if Red Sox make Alex Bregman available at trade deadline

On paper, a Bregman trade makes some sense. The Tigers wanted him badly in the offseason, and they never found a replacement third baseman on the free agent market when he went to the Red Sox instead. Jace Jung hasn't panned out so far, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of organizational faith in him as the franchise's third baseman of the future.

But Tigers fans would be loathe to see the front office give away a slew of prospects to the Red Sox just to get a player who didn't want to come to Detroit in the first place. Then there's the issue of the opt out he has for 2026, which means they run the risk of losing him again on top of having to send away talent.

It's still unclear if the Red Sox will be open to trading Bregman anyway. There have been various rumors about a potential extension — which the Red Sox should be able to afford, given that the Giants took on all of Devers' remaining money — and beat writer Chris Cotillo said he sees "next to no chance" of Bregman being traded.

If he is, well, the Tigers will probably be there, and fans will just have to deal with that. On one hand, hurt feelings shouldn't dictate what the front office does in order to make the team better and try to capitalize on their momentum; on the other, Bregman was booed in his every at-bat at Comerica for a reason.