Tigers can blow competition away for Alex Bregman thanks to one key advantage

It's going to be a relief when Alex Bregman finally signs a new deal, no matter who he signs with. Of course, Tigers fans want it to be with Detroit, but the entire Bregman saga has been so exhausting that a lot of us just want it to be over. Besides, Jim Bowden also recently alluded to Bregman not wanting to play in Detroit; if that really is the case, it's not a great way to endear yourself to your potential future fanbase.

However, the fact remains that the Tigers need Bregman. He was one of the free agent market's top bats even before the rest started coming off the board, and he would give the Tigers that extra edge and last push toward true contention in 2025.

Buster Olney of ESPN reported that three teams remain in the running: the Tigers, Cubs, and Red Sox. Huge surprise.

The Astros only ever sort of poked their head back in even after GM Dana Brown said publicly that the Astros had "lost Bregman," but it sort of feels like Bregman just doesn't want to go back to Houston.

Bob Nightengale wrote on Sunday that the remaining teams had all offered contracts at least four years long but didn't attach any approximate numbers. The Tigers still might have a leg up here, though, and it all has to do with payroll tax.

Tigers don't have to be held back by tax concerns in their pursuit of Alex Bregman

The Tigers' projected CBT tax payroll (per Cot's Contracts) is at $156.3 million. The Red Sox and Cubs, meanwhile, are both at $209.3 million. The luxury tax threshold for 2025 is set at $241 million; teams that cross it are subjected to escalating tax penalties depending on how far they go. The Tigers are nowhere near that threshold and are at zero risk to be taxed to high heaven by the end of the season, but the Red Sox and Cubs likely will be if Bregman gets his way in regard to salary.

This emphasizes the Tigers' need to make a splash. The front office redeemed itself slightly with Jack Flaherty's contract (two years and $35 million with an opt-out after 2025), but if Bregman takes any of these "at least four-year" deals, he's going to be making a lot more.

The Tigers haven't crossed the payroll tax threshold since 2017 and clearly have no desire to do it again, but this is one area in which their penny-pinching might've actually been helpful for their long-term success. They can afford one big, splashy deal. They should get it done.