Tigers fans won't like rumored backup plan after missing out on Alex Bregman

The Detroit Tigers were believed to have the best offer on the table to Alex Bregman, but the free agent third baseman still opted to put pen to paper on a short-term deal with the Boston Red Sox.

It was a tough blow for the Tigers, who reportedly made Bregman a competitive offer for six years worth $171.5 million. Now, Detroit is likely to deploy a platoon of Jace Jung and Matt Vierling at third base, unless they want to pursue another external option to get a veteran at the hot corner.

It's now well known that the rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals have been trying to dump the contract of third baseman Nolan Arenado for most of the offseason. The eight-time MLB All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner is still owed $64 million over the next three years, though a portion of that is still being covered by the Colorado Rockies.

After Bregman signed with the Red Sox, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi named the Tigers and the New York Yankees as the teams to watch as negotiations for Arenado begin to heat up.

"If they were willing to engage at that level for Bregman, then certainly they would have enough payroll flexibility to add at least a portion of Arenado's salary," Morosi said. "The Tigers and the Yankees to me are the two teams I am watching on a possible Nolan [Arenado] deal if not in the coming days, then sometime before Opening Day."

Tigers fans aren't thrilled after being mentioned as trade destination for Alex Bregman backup plan

Now that the Tigers' offer to Bregman has been revealed, it's known what they would be willing to spend. Financially speaking, the Tigers have more flexibility than the Yankees do to take on a significant chunk of Arenado's salary; but should they?

Arenado will turn 34 early in the 2025 season. He had a career-worst slugging percentage of .394 last season with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. Both represented his lowest marks in a full season since 2014.

There's also the fact Arenado reportedly gave the Cardinals a list of six teams that he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to play for: the Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He proved to St. Louis that he was serious when he vetoed a trade to the Houston Astros in December.

Could Arenado expand that list to include Detroit? A trade to the Tigers would offer him an opportunity to win now, which might be more appealing at this stage of his career. However, it's hard to argue that an aging player with declining returns at the plate would be worth the cost of acquiring him for a young, up-and-coming Tigers team.

As far as bringing in external options at third base, Detroit's strategy should be Bregman or nothing. Plus, Bregman's contract with Boston contains opt-outs after each season, so the Tigers could theoretically make another play for him in less than a year. In the meantime, Vierling and Jung are a perfectly capable (and more affordable) tandem that fans likely prefer.

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