The Detroit Tigers, coming off an unbelievable 2024 campaign, were hoping to make major offseason improvements ahead of what they hoped would be an even better 2025 season. Sure, they added Jack Flaherty, Gleyber Torres and Tommy Kahnle, but Scott Harris was eyeing a major splash.
Alex Bregman was a player the Tigers were linked to all winter, and they seemed well-positioned to sign him. In the end, they wound up offering Bregman more years and total dollars than any other team, and yet, Bregman signed a three-year deal to join the Boston Red Sox. Yes, the Red Sox gave him a high AAV, but Bregman was outspoken with his desire to ink a long-term deal. The Tigers gave him a good offer that figured to have met his needs, it just wasn't good enough.
Losing out on Bregman hurt, but it wouldn't have been a massive deal had the Tigers had a pivot. Instead, Bregman dragged his free agency out all offseason to the point where all of the big bats, including Anthony Santander, had already signed.
Santander inked a five-year, $92.5 million deal weeks prior with the Toronto Blue Jays with a large portion of the deal deferred. Chances are, if the Tigers knew they weren't going to get Bregman, they would've matched or topped the deal Santander got from Toronto. The fact that they didn't prioritize Santander with Bregman on the board resulted in Santander heading north of the border according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
"They looked at me," Santander told the Free Press on Monday afternoon, "but they were looking at the third baseman as the priority because that was the spot they needed the most. I was next. They were showing interest, like calling and making sure I was still available, but I was second in line."
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Tigers lost out on more than Alex Bregman thanks to Scott Boras
Based on the fact that the Tigers offered Bregman the longest and most expensive deal and Bregman still declined the offer, he almost certainly did not want to end up in Detroit. Boston's offer was a good one, obviously, but the Tigers came the closest to meeting Bregman's asking price. Scott Boras knew that Bregman likely didn't want to end up in Detroit, and still acted as if the Tigers had a shot. Detroit's desperation to land Bregman cost them Santander, and they didn't even end up with the star third baseman.
This is a big blow. Santander is not Bregman, obviously, but he would've been a really nice fit, especially when considering both Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling are dealing with injuries. Vierling has already been ruled out for Opening Day, and Meadows might miss the beginning of the regular season as well.
Santander doesn't get on base a ton, isn't fast, and isn't a good defender, but he can crush baseballs. The 30-year-old switch-hitter launched 44 home runs and drove in 102 runs for the Baltimore Orioles last season. He has averaged 35 home runs and 95 RBI over the last three seasons.
For reference, the Tigers had one player (Riley Greene) hit more than 20 home runs last season, and have not had a player hit 35 home runs in a single season since Miguel Cabrera hit 38 back in 2016. That's nearly a decade of the Tigers going without accomplishing something Santander has averaged over the past three seasons.
Detroit made it within one game of the ALCS last season despite ranking tied for 19th in runs scored, 24th in home runs, and tied for 23rd in team OPS. They were a subpar offensive team and still gave the Cleveland Guardians a run for their money in the ALDS. Adding a big bat like Santander would've gone a long way, instead, the best hitter they added was Gleyber Torres.
It's hard to fully blame the Tigers for prioritizing Bregman and allowing Santander to land elsewhere, but that's a decision they probably regret in hindsight. This is just another example of Scott Boras playing his cards well and getting a deal from the team that his client wanted.