The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, the two biggest players in the offseason's Alex Bregman sweepstakes, will face off for the first time this season on May 12.
The Red Sox eventually won Bregman's services, with a three-year, $120 million contract with opt-outs after each year, and they're better for it. The third baseman is slashing .311/.384/.567 with a .951 OPS over 41 games. He leads the team with 51 hits and 15 doubles, and is tied for the lead with 31 RBI.
The Tigers offered Bregman $171.5 million over six years, but he opted to head to Boston with a more flexible contract and a higher average annual value — rumors suggest he wanted to be there, anyway. The Red Sox's playoff window also appeared more open than the Tigers', with a newly revamped starting rotation and high offensive expectations.
But Detroit has far exceeded expectations in the early going, while Boston has squandered the easiest part of its schedule. The Tigers look like the best team in a newly competitive AL Central (besides the lowly White Sox, who've taken an unfortunate three wins from the Red Sox this year).
Why not a Carp 💣 to get us going? pic.twitter.com/i0cTsezuOO
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 10, 2025
The Tigers went on a tear in the second half of last season to make the playoffs in a Wild Card spot. Detroit was a seller at the trade deadline, but posted a near-miraculous 39-26 record in the second half of the season. Its best month of the season was September, which, of course, began with a series win against the Red Sox, who were still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot themselves. The Tigers went 17-8 in September and made it to the ALDS, where they lost to the division rival Guardians.
Detroit picked up right where it left off in 2024. The Tigers have had a hold on first place in the AL Central on the backs of utterly dominant performances from 2024 Cy Young Award and Triple Crown winner, Tarik Skubal, who's racked up 60 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. Kerry Carpenter leads the charge offensively with a .284/.307/.537 slash line and nine homers, with Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson close behind. Even former struggling Yankee, Gleyber Torres, has turned his career around in Detroit, to the tune of a .284/.355/.440 slash line.
Breggy Bomb No. 200 💥 pic.twitter.com/E0QPmJ47lE
— MLB (@MLB) May 7, 2025
With Bregman in the mix swinging as well as he has in 2025, the Tigers could've been unstoppable in a rather underwhelming American League. It should be noted that a good amount of Bregman's success could be attributed to the dimensions of Fenway Park, at which he's raked over his career. He's posted a .336/.444/.665 slash line with a 1.108 OPS over 41 career appearances at Fenway compared to just .227/.281/.421 with a .702 OPS in 21 games at Comerica Park.
Maybe that's one of the main reasons why Bregman opted to sign with Boston this year. Regardless, he and the Red Sox will have the chance to prove that he made the right decision from May 12-14. Or the Tigers could show him he chose wrong.