What Tigers must do to close gap and secure Alex Bregman contract right now

Alex Bregman and the Tigers have been in a staring contest for months. What began as a somewhat speculative pipe dream — a kind of "wouldn't it be so cool if AJ Hinch got Bregman to come to Detroit?" — turned into real conversations between him and the club that have extended well past the holiday season, despite rumors that suggested he would be the next big free agent to come off the board after the lull.

It's unclear what the Tigers have offered him so far, but Bregman is reportedly asking for seven years and $200 million and turned down a six-year, $156 million offer from the Astros at the beginning of the offseason.

Javier Báez's six-year, $140 million deal from 2021 marks the last time the Tigers doled out a deal worth more than $100 million, which makes it sort of shocking that they didn't immediately turn away from Bregman knowing that they'd have to offer him more years and/or more money.

So if they're willing to finally spend again, even if it's just for one guy, what exactly is the delay and how do they get through it? Holding their noses and giving him the seventh year he's looking for could be the solution.

Tigers could get over Alex Bregman free agency hurdle by giving him the seventh year he's looking for

The Tigers aren't the only ones who are still interested in Bregman — the Red Sox and Blue Jays are both said to be at least a little involved in his market — but there doesn't seem to be a direct or active enough threat that could swipe him. That's a good position for the Tigers to be in; if they smelled even the faintest hint of a bid coming on, they would turn and run for the hills. They have some breathing room to adjust and keep negotiating.

Matching the Astros' original offer but tacking on an extra year at the same AAV ($26 million) for a total of seven years, $182 million could get the job done and make a statement. That would give Bregman the job security he's looking for and would save the Tigers a little more than they might've expected when they started to entertain conversations with him.

It would mean officially putting Jace Jung out of a job long-term and probably forcing the Tigers' hand to trade him, but they've already gotten this far with Bregman, so that's a possibility they're likely prepared for. The Tigers are already far outside of their comfort zones by even continuing to negotiate with Bregman; they just need to take the plunge already and get a deal done.