Tarik Skubal makes pitch for Tigers to sign Alex Bregman as free agency lags

The Detroit Tigers find themselves in a tricky position this offseason. They are coming off a surprise playoff run that energized their fanbase and have a lot of help coming from the minor leagues, but ownership has shown little stomach to invest significantly to take advantage of that momentum.

Sure, signing Gleyber Torres was nice, but that alone probably isn't the splash fans have been hoping for.

Count Tarik Skubal among those that think Detroit should make an even bigger move before the start of the 2025 season. When asked on Foul Territory about the ongoing Tigers-Alex Bregman free agency chatter, Skubal gave his full endorsement of the idea.

Tarik Skubal among those that hope the Tigers sign Alex Bregman

While it is hardly surprising that Detroit's ace would love to see the team add a player of Bregman's caliber, his quotes were certainly very candid. When the topic of Bregman came up, Skubal went out of his way to say, "He would look really good (with the Tigers)...I'm sure he wants it. We got the connections." Obviously Skubal is a fan, but the wording here gives us more to work with.

A cursory examination of Skubal's response seems to suggest that he thinks Bregman would like to sign with Detroit assuming, of course, the offer is good enough. The Tigers have been aggressive in their pursuit of Bregman this offseason, so one wonders if Detroit will have to up its current offer out to him and get talks beyond the current standstill to have a chance. One also has to wonder if Bregman is already strongly considering coming aboard now that his market has been flushed out.

Signing a free agent like Bregman is not as simple as that, unfortunately. In addition to the rumors that Bregman is considering heading back to Houston, other teams including the Blue Jays (who have money to burn) and Red Sox have remained involved in his market.

Another way to think about Skubal's comments on Bregman is if Detroit is serious about wanting to ink Skubal to an extension. In that case, they are going to have to surround him with a strong roster. Skubal sure seems to think that Bregman would help put the Tigers over the top, and if the front office is listening that could factor into their final push as we near spring training.

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