Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris believes his squad will be successful without Alex Bregman.
"We want players who want to be here," Harris said in the statement, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. "I say it a lot because I mean it. We made a very compelling offer to Alex Bregman, but he chose to sign somewhere else. That's fine. We knew that was a possibility throughout this process and we planned for that outcome."
Bregman reportedly agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. Detroit reportedly offered him a six-year deal worth $171.5 million.
The Tigers pursued Bregman throughout the offseason in hopes of adding his potent bat and championship pedigree to their young roster, but they'll now look internally.
"We're going to be just fine without Alex Bregman, and we still have a clubhouse that just got to the postseason and just beat a team with Alex Bregman, so it clearly can be done," Harris said.
Harris pointed to Jace Jung, Matt Vierling, and Andy Ibáñez as candidates to receive playing time at third base, saying he envisions the trio helping them "win a lot of games this year."
Bregman, 30, is a two-time World Series winner with a pair of All-Star nods, a Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove award on his resume.
The Tigers' offseason moves include a reunion with starting pitcher Jack Flaherty on a short-term deal, adding infielder Gleyber Torres, and signing Tommy Kahnle to bolster the bullpen.
