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Detroit Tigers wish list for Santa? Alex Bregman and other things amid holiday hopes
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- Detroit Tigers wish list for Santa? Alex Bregman and other things amid holiday hopes
Dear Detroit Tigers fans,
Happy holidays!
While the Tigers haven't made any major offseason moves (besides signing veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract ), the holiday season is filled with wishes and potential. With 50 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, it's time to start looking ahead to 2025.
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Here are five things the Tigers should have on their holiday wish list, as discussed on the latest Days of Roar podcast episode :
Alex Bregman
Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman (2) bats against Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, May 12, 2024.
The Tigers want a right-handed hitting third baseman.
Two-time All-Star Alex Bregman fits perfectly as a Gold Glove-winning, right-handed hitting third baseman who won the World Series in 2017 and 2022. There have been multiple conversations between the Tigers and Bregman with mutual interest , but the Tigers don't want to pay $200 million.
MORE: Alex Bregman 'open to a lot of things' in free agency, including Tigers
Here's the latest development: Bregman will not return to the Houston Astros after the Astros traded for third baseman Isaac Paredes and signed first baseman Christian Walker , locking those players in at the corners to complete an infield that features second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Jeremy Peña up the middle.
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Therefore, the Astros' six-year, $156 million offer to re-sign Bregman is no longer on the table.
"The negotiations stalled," Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters Monday , just two days before Christmas. "I feel like we made a really competitive offer and showed that we wanted him back. But we had to pursue other options. We couldn't just sit there."
The door is wide open for the Tigers to sign Bregman.
If the Tigers sign Bregman, the projected infield would be Bregman at third base, Trey Sweeney at shortstop, Colt Keith at second base and Spencer Torkelson at first base. In that case, multi-positional asset Matt Vierling would spend more time in right field than third base. (Keep in mind: Bregman, a third baseman for his entire career, is willing to play second base, and Keith, a second baseman, is taking ground balls at first base to expand his defensive versatility .)
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At least three other teams remain fits for Bregman: Boston Red Sox , Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets . The New York Yankees are not interested in signing Bregman (or trading for Nolan Arenado ), as reported by YES Network studio analyst Jack Curry .
As for Bregman, his 14 fWAR from 2022-24 ranks 18th among 230 qualified position players. He is one of the best players in baseball based on his performance, but his well-respected leadership would immediately vault the Tigers into a position to return to the postseason in 2025.
Health for star players
Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
Unless Bregman signs, left-hander Tarik Skubal , left fielder Riley Greene and designated hitter Kerry Carpenter represent the best three players on the Tigers' roster entering the 2025 season.
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Two of them suffered injuries in 2024.
FAMILY TIME: Once upon a time, Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal dreamed of playing Division III basketball
Carpenter missed nearly three months with a lumbar spine stress fracture ; Greene missed more than three weeks with a right hamstring strain . When Carpenter and Greene are injured, the Tigers struggle to win games.
The Tigers had a 30-36 record in Carpenter's three-month absence, with a 56-40 record when he was healthy. The Tigers had a 10-11 record in Greene's three-week absence, with a 76-65 record when he was healthy.
Carpenter, 27, suffered a right shoulder sprain in 2023 and a lumbar spine stress fracture in 2024. Greene, 24, suffered a right foot fracture (requiring surgery) in 2022, a left fibula stress reaction in 2023, a right elbow sprain (requiring surgery) in 2023 and a right hamstring strain in 2024.
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Most importantly, Skubal needs to stay healthy as the ace of the pitching staff. The Tigers had a 21-10 record in his 31 starts, with a 65-66 record in their other 131 games. The 28-year-old previously suffered two elbow injuries, requiring Tommy John surgery in 2016 and flexor tendon surgery in 2023.
Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award in 2024.
Development for Colt Keith , Parker Meadows
Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows talks to infielder Colt Keith during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.
The development of second baseman Colt Keith and center fielder Parker Meadows is critical to the success of the Tigers in the 2025 season, as both young players have the potential to become cornerstone contributors.
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They need to build on their 2024 performances.
SUCCESS STORY: Parker Meadows a shining example of Tigers development win in 2024
Meadows, 25, hit .244 with nine home runs, 25 walks and 76 strikeouts in 82 games, but in his final 50 games after a swing adjustment in Triple-A Toledo , he hit .300 with seven homers and an .857 OPS, along with providing elite defense in center field and elite speed on the bases. He also collected a hit in all seven postseason games, which tied Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer for the longest streak of hits to start a postseason career in franchise history.
Keith, 23, hit .260 with 13 home runs, 36 walks and 110 strikeouts in 148 games, but he hit .152 with zero homers and a .399 OPS in his first 30 games and .262 with two homers and a .624 OPS in his final 53 games. Here's the positive: Keith hit .306 with 11 homers and an .876 OPS in the 65 games between that start and finish. Before his MLB debut, the Tigers signed Keith to a six-year, $28.6 million contract with three club options.
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The upside is high for both players. Meadows is capable of becoming an All-Star center fielder with above-average offense and elite defense, while Keith has the potential for MVP awards despite below-average defense if he taps into more power while unlocking consistency in his hit tool.
Meadows is under team control through the 2030 season; Keith is under team control through the 2032 season. Both players need to take steps forward in their development process in 2025.
Any leftover luck?
Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Faedo, center, celebrates with teammates in the clubhouse after 4-1 win over Chicago White Sox to clinch a playoff spot at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
Every team needs a little bit of luck.
But do the Tigers have any more luck left in the tank?
After all, the Tigers were one of the luckiest teams in 2024 when they compiled an improbable 31-11 run (as part of a 31-13 record in their final 44 games) to clinch a spot in the postseason, all while the Minnesota Twins collapsed with a 19-31 record in their final 51 games.
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JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers incredible MLB playoffs berth one of the greatest in city's history
Had the Twins gone a mere 7-6 in their final 13 games, the Tigers would have been eliminated from the chase, but instead, the Twins went 3-10 down the stretch.
It was the rare combination of the Tigers' historic rise and the Twins' historic fall that led to the Tigers advancing to the postseason in 2024. The Tigers won't be able to rely on that kind of luck in 2025, so the team needs to win more games throughout the entire season, not just in the final seven weeks.
Remember, the Tigers were on pace for just 75 wins entering Aug. 11 in the 2024 season.
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A deeper playoff run
Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) watches Cleveland Guardians celebrates 7-3 win over the Tigers at Game 5 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.
In 2024, the Tigers posted a winning record for the first time since 2016 , advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2014 and won a playoff series for the first time since 2013 .
Manager A.J. Hinch has set the expectation for 2025: He wants to win the AL Central . The Tigers, though, haven't won the AL Central since 2014.
MORE SEIDEL: Tigers deserve one final thank-you for this magical run
Since 2010, the AL Central champion has won at least 90 games in 12 of 14 full seasons. The Tigers went 86-76 in 2024, meaning they'd need to improve by four wins to reach 90 in 2025.
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Beyond that, the Tigers need to make a deeper run in the postseason after sweeping the Houston Astros in the best-of-three wild-card series but losing to the Cleveland Guardians in the best-of-five ALDS. The next step is to advance to the ALCS.
The Tigers could accomplish just that — but not without an All-Star-caliber addition, the heath of star players, the development of young players and a little bit of luck. Hopefully, for them (and their fans), the Tigers are on Santa's nice list this year.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alex Bregman leads off Detroit Tigers Christmas wish list
