Should the Detroit Tigers reunite A.J. Hinch with one of his former players?

The Detroit Tigers have flirted with reuniting A.J. Hinch with some of his former players in the past. We all know about Carlos Correa and how that turned out. Technically, the only player the Tigers have brought in that played under A.J. Hinch in Houston since Hinch took over in Detroit has been Robbie Grossman.

Could that change this offseason, or perhaps next offseason?

Rumor has it the Astros are listening on trade offers for third baseman Alex Bregman. Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio said "to keep an eye on" the former AL MVP runner-up.

Duquette, a former MLB GM, seems convinced the Astros aren't going to re-sign him, and with one year of team control left, it would make sense for them to try to dangle him in a trade this offseason.

Bregman hasn't quite lived up to his 2018 and 2019 heights, where he put up back-to-back 8+ WAR seasons, but he's still a very good player. In 2023, he slashed .262/.363/.441 with 25 home runs, a 125 wRC+ and a 4.3 fWAR.

Offensively, he has a career walk rate of 12.7% compared to a strikeout rate of just 13.3%. He perfectly exemplifies the Scott Harris "dominate the strike zone" mantra.

He's still good defensively as well. He was worth 5 defensive runs saved (DRS) last season. He seems like a great fit for what the Tigers are looking for.

Should the Tigers trade for Alex Bregman to fill their void at third base? Absolutely. Will they? That's an entirely different story.

In his short stint so far as Tigers president of baseball ops, Harris hasn't shown much willingness to take risks. He's talked about how the Tigers can't make moves that might set the team back, and trading prospects is easily something that he could view as doing just that.

Bregman would also, in theory, be a one-year rental. Somehow, I don't see Chris Ilitch shelling out a bunch of money to give him an extention. The same thing likely goes for him as a free agent following the 2024 season. It really stinks having an owner that won't spend, but that's just the reality we're living in.

Alex Bregman would be an outstanding addition to the Tigers, even if it's just for one year. He's really the perfect fit for the Tigers are trying to do. But based on history and Scott Harris' tendencies, I would be shocked if the Tigers traded for him.

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