Alex Bregman enjoyed his time in Boston, but without a long-term commitment, he could easily move on. He’s looking for a deal of at least five to six years, and it’s unlikely Craig Breslow will go that far. Meanwhile, the same team that offered him a six-year contract last year might be waiting to make another run at him.

Andy McCullough of The Athletic predicts that Alex Bregman could be headed to the Detroit Tigers. They reportedly offered him a six-year, $171.5 million deal last offseason.

If the Tigers aren’t planning to move Tarik Skubal, then they might as well push for a World Series run with him. Their infield is crowded at the moment, but they’d still try to sign the 31-year-old given his caliber.

Alex Bregman’s market entering 2026 should look a lot like it did ahead of 2025. That means Detroit could face similar competition.

Bregman turned down their offer last year. Even when it was the highest one he received, that hasn’t done much to quiet the buzz. There’s plenty of talk that Detroit will take another shot at him this time around.

Offensively, he’d be a perfect fit for the Tigers. They ranked 27th in strikeout rate at 23.9%, according to StatMuse. Bregman could easily help to stabilize that problem. He posted a much cleaner 14.1% strikeout rate last season.

Alex Bregman doesn’t have a strong reason to choose Detroit over Boston. If he still ends up in the Motor City, it’ll likely be because the Red Sox weren’t willing to match the Tigers in a bidding war.

If the team doesn’t bring in another bat to make up for Bregman, it would understandably frustrate the fan base. The Red Sox could also decide to shift promising young talent Marcelo Mayer over to third base.

Of course, they wouldn’t want to see Bregman land with another American League team that might be battling them for a postseason spot in 2026. And if Boston wants to avoid that scenario, they’ll need to dig deep and be willing to spend.

If they don’t, there’s another club out there that isn’t afraid to spend and would jump at the chance to add Bregman.

The New York Mets may hold a real advantage in the race for Alex Bregman

According to NBC Sports’ Matthew Pouliot, the Mets might actually have a real edge in the chase for Alex Bregman. He’s this year’s top free-agent third baseman, and as more projections start to point in the same direction, the buzz around Queens keeps getting louder.

Pouliot sees the Mets as his official pick to land Bregman. He predicted a six-year, $168 million deal.

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of the New York Post projected seven years, and Baseball America went with six for $180 million. On the other hand, The Athletic’s Tim Britton predicted six for $171 million.

The Mets didn’t get what they needed from third base in 2025. Brett Baty struggled again. And while Mark Vientos showed flashes, he looked far more comfortable at first. With both Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz heading into free agency, the team now has to make some significant additions.

Pouliot insisted that letting Pete Alonso walk and investing that money in Alex Bregman could actually make the Mets’ infield stronger overall. Even though he wouldn’t match Alonso’s power, Alex Bregman brings elite defense paired with leadership and high-end contact skills, exactly the qualities the Mets have been missing.