Scott Harris put Alex Bregman on blast with comments after Tigers' free agency chase

The Alex Bregman sweepstakes have come to an end, and Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris is ready to turn the page.

The Tigers managed to remain in the mix for the free agent slugger until the bitter end, and it was revealed that they had offered Bregman a six-year contract worth $171.5 million with an opt-out after the 2026 season. However, Bregman instead decided to sign with the Boston Red Sox on a three-year, $120 million contract that includes an opt-out clause after each season.

Addressing the matter at Tigers spring training in Lakeland, Fla., Friday, Harris quelled any doubts about the Tigers' commitment to fielding a winning roster after failing to land Bregman in free agency.

"We want players who want to be here," Harris said (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). "I say it a lot because I mean it. We made a very compelling offer to Alex Bregman, but he chose to sign somewhere else. That's fine. We knew that was a possibility throughout this process and we planned for that outcome."

"Heading into this entire process," Harris said, "We knew that given all the work we had done on the development and acquisition front, we were going to be able to run out a really good team with or without Alex Bregman."

Scott Harris puts Alex Bregman on blast in first comments after Tigers' free agency chase

Harris has evidence to back up his claim, too. Last year, the Tigers were 55-63 on Aug. 10 and then went on a late-season tear to finish the regular season 86-76 and clinch a postseason berth. They swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round before losing to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALDS.

That Wild Card win over Houston gave Harris even more fuel for his argument that the Tigers will be just fine without Bregman.

"We're going to be just fine without Alex Bregman, and we still have a clubhouse that just got to the postseason and just beat a team with Alex Bregman," Harris said. "So it clearly can be done."

Savage. This is the kind of leadership the Tigers need. Let's see them back it up in 2025.

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