The ship might have finally sailed on Tigers-Alex Bregman rumors - rejoice!

The Alex Bregman-Detroit Tigers buzz has taken on a "neither here nor there" identity for way too long. Detroit fans already have enough nagging theoreticals on the mind to keep on dealing with these never-ending and ever-vague Bregman rumors.

At long last, such rumors may be finally squashed to nil. A report emerged on December 27 from trusty Tigers writer Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, revealing that the Tigers "aren't involved" in Bregman's free agency.

Tigers fans are at greater peace now that Alex Bregman rumors can be put to rest

When your favorite team spends consecutive offseasons (or more) chasing the same asset, and with fans collectively assuming a deal isn't going to happen, a mass annoyance boils over. Such was the scenario brewing had the Tigers continued to pursue Bregman this winter. Detroit's decision to ignore the Bregman sweepstakes is a breath of fresh air for fans.

It wasn't always a tiresome narrative. A calendar year ago, with Bregman looking like a wildly enticing free agent who'd fit perfectly in Detroit, Tigers fans were enthused by the buzz surrounding Scott Harris' reported interest.

In the weeks before Bregman ultimately signed with the Red Sox on a three-year, $120 million deal, the Tigers were reportedly right at the front of the line with Boston for the All-Star third baseman. Detroit fans were disappointed to see their club "miss out" on Bregman to the Red Sox, and it's only become widespread public knowledge recently — thanks to ESPN's Buster Olney — that negotiations turned sour between Bregman's reps and Harris last year.

"Those negotiations (last offseason) kind of turned a little bit nasty at the end," Olney said during a recent Baseball Tonight podcast episode. "You had Scott Harris ... basically saying out loud, ‘We can win without Bregman.’"

As it turns out, Harris wasn't wrong. The TIgers made the postseason in 2025, and they would have done so more comfortably had they not entered an historically terrible stretch in September.

And while none of Detroit's options at the hot corner have emerged as an All-Star-caliber player at the level of Bregman, the Tigers like what they saw from 24-year-old Colt Keith in 2025. There's plenty of left-side infield talent atop Detroit's prospect rankings, too, with studs like Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer rising.

Bregman isn't the difference between the Tigers winning and losing. Far from it. Detroit's front office has known this all along, and now it's basically official that their roster-building blueprint reflects this.