Tigers insider comes in with most obvious report of all time after Alex Bregman decision

The Detroit Tigers weren't interested in Alex Bregman this offseason. Fans are well aware of that, just as they're aware that Scott Harris reportedly ticked off Bregman during negotiations last offseason.

Bregman and Scott Boras didn't exactly please the Tigers and their fanbase last winter, either. And now that Bregman is officially a Chicago Cub, he's cemented his status as a villainous figure in Detroit who flirted heavily with the Tigers but never loved them. The Bregman ship unofficially sailed a long time ago, even if it's only recently official. This makes a new report from Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold feel oddly out of touch.

Latest Tigers-Alex Bregman report wasn't exactly groundbreaking

Petzold published a piece making sure fans knew that Detroit wasn't involved in the Bregman sweepstakes this offseason. Doing so wasn't that much different from putting out a report reminding fans that Tarik Skubal is a free agent next offseason, or that the Tigers fell short of a World Series title in 2025.

Let's not be too harsh on Petzold here, though. A mulligan is deserved for a guy who covers the Tigers year-round. Also, it's been extremely difficult to stay away from Bregman's name this offseason. His and Boras' cat-and-mouse game with the Boston Red Sox has been a constant narrative of national intrigue since November.

As things got weirder and weirder between Bregman and Boston in recent weeks, it was reasonable to assume that anything was possible (including, perhaps, Detroit getting back in the game), although nothing ever surfaced to indicate that the Tigers were interested.

Ultimately, you have to hand it to Boras for getting his client paid. Had Bregman signed with the Tigers last offseason for six years and $171.5 million, he'd have made less than he now stands to earn when you take into account his new five year, $175 million deal with the Cubs on top of the approximately $35 million he stacked last season in Boston.

Bregman was obviously looking for this next contract to be with a team he ends his career with. When the Red Sox didn't budge on a no-trade clause, Bregman reportedly backed away. It's a tad interesting to think about how things would be different if Bregman had signed with the Tigers a year ago. Would he have ended up a Tiger forevermore?

It's fruitless to linger for too long on such a notion. As Harris has communicated, Detroit wants players who want to be in Detroit. Bregman and Boras have only shown a loyalty to the best offer (not any particular team), and they shouldn't be criticized for that. A Bregman-Tigers union was never going to work out, and it's more than time to never mention his name in Detroit again ... unless the Cubs are in town.