Tigers better hope Scott Harris' 'nasty' Alex Bregman tiff won't impact Tarik Skubal

The Tigers aren't signing Alex Bregman. It's not over 'til it's over, but all signs are pointing toward Bregman either going back to the Red Sox or maybe even defecting to the Diamondbacks, per recent reports. But the Tigers were said to be "lukewarm" on him earlier in the offseason, and Buster Olney's reporting on their negotiations last offseason offer some explanation for that.

Olney said that talks took a "nasty turn" by the end, "You had Scott Harris, the head of baseball operations there, basically saying out loud, 'We can win without Bregman.'"

And the Tigers did win without Bregman. In fact, they made it further into the postseason than Bregman's Red Sox.

Harris' comments after Detroit's whiff did fire up fans. He assumed some of that patented "Detroit vs. Everybody" attitude and said that he wanted to sign players who actually want to play in Detroit. That's exactly what fans wanted to hear.

But it might not help the Tigers in the long-term. The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen said after the trade deadline that other teams don't like dealing with Harris, a "hardline negotiator." Word getting out about contentious dealings with Bregman aren't going to help him with free agents, either.

Scott Harris' "nasty" negotiations with Alex Bregman could hinder Tigers' long-term outlook

Harris' approach certainly isnt for everyone, but it's easy enough to see how he might've gotten frustrated nearing the end of talks with Bregman. Fans were so fed up with it and all of the will-he-won't-he, that when he eventually spurned the Tigers to go to the Red Sox, some of the disappointment was tempered by the relief that it was finally over.

But players, and especially agents, talk. The Tigers were and will be fine without Bregman, but they also have Scott Boras to worry about, and he represents Tarik Skubal, too. A number of teams are known to avoid Boras clients because they don't like how Boras works, but the Tigers have to deal with him if they have any hope at all of extending or re-signing Skubal. That's not to mention any of the myriad other players he represents.

If Harris really did lose his temper a little, it seems rare for a guy who is so careful about his words in public, but he might've done it in front of the wrong guy. A strained relationship with one of the most prominent agents in baseball could come back to bite the Tigers beyond just Bregman.