Tigers' ideal Alex Bregman backup plan may still be available on the trade market

After their elimination in the ALDS last season, the Detroit Tigers are looking to come back and finish the job. Detroit made waves last season by not only grabbing a Wild Card spot in the heated AL race, but by sweeping the Houston Astros to advance (and coming within one game of reaching their first ALCS since 2013).

Now ready for a second bout with the heavyweights, the Tigers added Jack Flaherty and Gleyber Torres earlier this winter. Still, this team seems to be outmatched, especially offensively. President of baseball operations Scott Harris sought to close this divide by signing Alex Bregman, the best all-around position player remaining on the market.

However, those plans didn’t pan out, despite Harris' best efforts. Bregman instead will be helping a fierce AL competitor in the Boston Red Sox attempt to win a pennant in 2025. It's a tough break, but luckily, the best consolation prize may still be available.

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Luis Arraez could be the Tigers’ key to postseason success

Plenty of attention has been given to the San Diego Padres in recent weeks. Amid payroll uncertainty and an ugly ownership fight, the team has dangled pending free agents like Dylan Cease in front of other contenders for most of the offseason — albeit at an exorbitant price. Now, it seems their top two arms in Cease and Michael King are off the trade block. But Luis Arraez — who, like Cease, has one year left on his deal — might still be up for grabs.

Arraez has won three straight batting titles while totaling 30 or more doubles a year. The contact-hitting guru slashed .314/.346/.392/.739 with four home runs and led the NL with 200 hits through 637 at-bats in 2024. As impressive as last season was, he posted these numbers while dealing with a torn ligament in his thumb. In 2023, he hit for an astounding .354 batting average.

Unlike Bregman, there are two problems with Arraez. The latter is one of the worst infield defenders in the game and doesn’t hit for much power. While power shouldn’t be a concern when a batter is consistently topping averages of .310, Arraez’s glove presents a problem for most teams.

The Yankees showed interest in Arraez but refrained from aggressively pursuing him due to his lack of defensive ability. This, however, shouldn’t be a problem for the Tigers; should Kerry Carpenter take to the outfield grass next season, the DH spot will be open.

Without a clear table-setter hitting ahead of Riley Greene and with only one guaranteed year of Flaherty (who has an opt-out after the 2025 season), trading for Arraez makes perfect sense. The Padres have been persistent in tall asking prices for Cease, but a package potentially led by Spencer Torkelson might be sufficient for a one-year rental who is a liability on the infield. Arraez is owed $14 million next season.