Alex Bregman took the field at Comerica Park on Monday night for the first time since spurning the Detroit Tigers — and turning down a longer and richer contract — to sign with the Boston Red Sox in free agency this past winter. Prior to first pitch, he tried to do some damage control, showering his opponent with compliments while busting out the old "it's not you, it's me" trick.
“Obviously, I was really close [to signing],” Bregman said, per MLB.com. "I wanted to play somewhere I had an opportunity to win, and I felt like those are the teams that I talked to during free agency, the teams that I felt like had the ability to win this year but also for a long time, just like I feel like we do [in Boston]. They have an incredible ball club over there, first place in the American League, playing exceptionally well, can really pitch, can really hit, play good defense."
What did all those platitudes get him? A lusty chorus of boos on his way to the plate for his first at-bat, which ended in a flyout to center field.
Loud boos for Alex Bregman in his first plate appearance at Comerica followed by loud cheers when he flies out on the first pitch
— Barstool Detroit (@BSMotorCity) May 12, 2025
pic.twitter.com/TCGDOpIeao
Bregman, to his credit, more or less saw that coming, telling reporters that he expected a less-than-warm greeting. But it would probably be a lot easier for Tigers fans to move on if the third baseman would just be honest about what actually went down this offseason — something he still isn't willing to do, if his answers on Monday were any indication.
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No one, especially not Tigers fans, should buy Alex Bregman's free agency spin
“It was not a diss of Detroit,” Bregman insisted on Monday afternoon. “I made a decision to come play for the Boston Red Sox, and I’m super excited to be here playing for this ball club.”
That's all well and good; I'm sure Bregman doesn't hold hatred in his heart for the city of Detroit, the Tigers or their players and coaches. But while he spent a lot of time foisting compliments on A.J. Hinch and Co., he failed to acknowledge the most important detail of all: None of that stuff was enough to convince him to actually sign on the dotted line.
The reality is that if Bregman wanted to be a Tiger, he would be a Tiger. Detroit GM Scott Harris reportedly offered him a six-year, $171.5 million contract, one that, while smaller in AAV than Boston's three-year, $120 million offer, still represented a significant investment for a position player on the wrong side of 30. Bregman is off to a great start with the Red Sox this season, but it's hard to imagine him doing much better than that should he choose to opt out of his contract next winter.
If Bregman were simply worried about finding a competitive place to play and cashing in, Detroit was the obvious choice. But he clearly wasn't sold on something, because he was willing to wait until February for another team to come close enough to give him an excuse to go elsewhere. Bregman can't come out and say that, of course, but Tigers fans are more than capable of reading between the lines.