The Detroit Tigers are headed to the American League Division Series after knocking out the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round.
Detroit not only ended the Astros season, but they could have also ended Alex Bregman's time in Houston.
The veteran slugger and two-time World Series champion is set to become a free agent at the end of the postseason, and since Houston doesn't typically dish out large contracts to free agents, Wednesday could have been his final day in an Astros uniform.
Joe Tansley of Bleacher Report predicts that the Tigers could make a run at Bregman if Houston fails to re-sign him.
"The Astros should try to get a deal done, but if Bregman does move on, an emerging team, like the Detroit Tigers, could be an intriguing fit," Tansley wrote.
Bregman already has a connection with the Tigers. Detroit's manager, A.J. Hinch, was at the helm from 2015-19. Bregman came up to the Majors in 2016 and played a key role in Houston reaching the World Series in 2017 and 2019 under Hinch.
Perhaps Bregman would be comfortable reuniting with Hinch, especially with the Tigers on the rise.
Detroit has been an interesting story this year. They were 12 games under .500 in August after selling at the trade deadline, only to get hot and finish 86-76 while securing the third Wild Card.
Adding Bregman to the mix would give the Tigers a great chance to be competitive again in 2025, and he could be a strong veteran voice in a young clubhouse.
Stars such as Riley Greene, Tarik Skubal, Kerry Carpenter, Andy Ibanez, Zack McKinstry, and Colt Keith could benefit from having somebody with the postseason experience that Bregman does around.
It will certainly be interesting to see if the Tigers target him, especially after going on such an improbable run to reach the playoffs.
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