After seemingly becoming sellers at the 2024 trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers put together an impressive second half of the season, putting them in the postseason for the first time since 2014. Despite being 26th in payroll, the Tigers put together a competitive squad in October, putting them in prime position to make significant additions this offseason.
The primary target of the Tigers' was third baseman Alex Bregman. Although Detroit was considered one of the finalist in the Bregman sweepstakes, their six-year, $171.5 million offer could not compete with the Boston Red Sox's three-year, $120 million deal that includes an opt-out clause after each season.
As much as it stings to miss out on Bregman, it should hurt Tigers fans worse knowing that he is not the only star third baseman Detroit 'almost' acquired this offseason.
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Detroit Tigers also missed out on Nolan Arenado
While Alex Bregman was the biggest free agent third baseman on the market, another superstar corner infielder remains available in a sense, he will just have to be moved via trade. The St. Louis Cardinals and Nolan Arenado have spent months in agreement that they should part ways but a deal has yet to happen.
With Arenado having a full no-trade clause in his contract, it has caused some complications. Especially since the Cardinals remain stubbornly adamant that whoever acquires Arenado takes on a large portion of his hefty salary.
Arenado has made it clear that there are only a handful of teams that he would waive his no-trade clause for. He has also displayed how selective he is willing to be during this process after blocking a trade earlier this winter that would have sent him to the Houston Astros. However, this is not the only trade he has vetoed.
The Tigers had a chance to add the 10X Gold Glove Award winner but Arenado shut down those talks real quick. His excuse for declining a trade to Houston was that he simply had to think about his family and the process of relocating. For the Tigers, on the other hand, it was that he did not see them as contenders.
This was a bold claim coming from Arenado being that he and the St. Louis Cardinals have missed out on October baseball the past two seasons and the Tigers were just competitive in the ALDS.
Sources are now saying that Arenado is willing to reconsider a trade to Houston but it has to be painful for a team that just made a postseason run to be ruled out by a superstar like Arenado because he does not view them as a contender.