Tigers Ace Praises Alex Bregman Amid Free Agency Sweepstakes

Alex Bregman is one of the best free agents available this winter, and Tarik Skubal is making it known how much he admires the Red Sox star.

“He’s a great player,” Skubal said Thursday at the MLB Awards show, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I’d love to play with him, obviously. Hopefully, we can do it again (pursue him) this year. I know he’s a free agent again. I’d love to be teammates with him. He’s a great player and he’d bring a lot to our club, for sure.”

The Tigers ultimately did not land Bregman last offseason, and he ended up being a huge part of the Red Sox. He was named an All-Star for the first time since 2019, paving the way for him to opt out in search of a bigger contract.

Bregman slashed .273/.360/.462 in 114 games last season. Before his injury, he was hitting .299 with a .938 OPS. His season ended up being his best in years, and he finally looked like the player he was during his two All-Star seasons with the Houston Astros.

In 2018 and 2019, he slashed .291/.409/.561 with 72 home runs in 313 games. In the following five seasons, he had a .795 OPS and 92 home runs. The version of Bregman the Red Sox saw was one that can help get them to a World Series.

Not only was he once again great on the field, but he was praised for his role as a leader in the clubhouse, especially for the Red Sox’s younger players.

“He’s like a coach, really,” Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer said to The Athletic in July. “I can’t really say enough of how much he’s helped not only me and Roman (Anthony), but the whole team. He has people coming in early and watching film, whether that’s me, (Jarren) Duran or whoever it may be. And I think he just sees the game at a super advanced level compared to most people.”

It’s no surprise that Skubal wants Bregman in the clubhouse with him in Detroit. However, Bregman would be wise to stick with Boston’s core of young stars, not knowing if the Tigers will be able to keep Skubal past next season.