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

Emma Lingan

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris watches warm up before Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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.

More Tigers content from Motor City Bengals

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.