Alex Bregman: Detroit Tigers or Boston Red Sox? Insider insight from Red Sox broadcaster Will Fle…
[Music] Hello and welcome to Days of Roar, a Detroit Tigers podcast brought to you by the Detroit Free Press. I’m your host, Tigers beat writer Evan Pzled, live from the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando. And as always, I’m joined by Chris Brown from Tigers Minor League Report. I know it’s like 20° outside in Detroit right now, but it is a cloudy 65 to 70° here in Orlando. So, you’re not missing out on any sunshine, and you’re definitely not missing out on any baseball talk because we have a lot to discuss this week, including the latest on Terubel and Alex Bregman. All right, the winter meetings are underway from the Sigma by Hilton Orlando. It is a hotel set within a 482 acre Bonnet Creek Nature Preserve. It’s surrounded by the Walt Disney World Resort. This is the biggest event on the baseball calendar during the off season. The winter meeting started Monday and will end Wednesday afternoon. There’s a lot happening including manager media availability, world baseball classic media availability, MLB draft lottery, rule five draft, and if you’re a beatw writer covering the Tigers, several hours spent with president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg. I forgot to mention, we’re also going to get a ton of free agency and trade rumors, not only for the Tigers, but for the other 29 teams, and that could lead to signings and trades during the winter meetings. We know the Tigers are prioritizing pitching as the winter meetings begin, but more on that in a little bit. I’m here in Orlando for the winter meetings. You’re back home in Michigan. It’s the most wonderful time of the baseball off season. Do you expect the Tigers to do something significant this week regardless of what it is or is it going to be the come on, do something meme where the guy is poking the old English D with a stick? Yeah, I mean I don’t know about significant. Uh I think in my head significant is like oh they made a a huge, you know, multi-year free agent signing or they traded Terkall. I’m still skeptical we’re going to see those things. But I do think they’re going to come out of the winter meetings with at least one more reliever, if not maybe two. However you define significant, uh, that’s what I I picture coming. Some action would be better than no action. On the eve of the winter meetings, Jeff Kent, the all-time home run leader at second base, earned Hall of Fame election on the contemporary era ballot. He was named on 14 of 16 ballots by the committee as the lone selection. Players needed at least 12 votes for election. Carlos Delgado finished with nine votes while Dale Murphy and Don Mattingley each received six votes. So, they did not make it. And Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenuela each received fewer than five votes, which means under new rules, those players won’t be eligible for the next contemporary era ballot in 2028 that determines 2029 induction, which opens the door to Lou Whitaker being on that 2028 ballot. Tigers legend Lou Whitaker deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He’s not there yet. Before we get to Whitaker, we need to give our flowers to Jeff Kent. He played 17 MLB seasons. He won the National League MVP in 2000. He made the All-Star game five times. He hit .290 with 377 home runs, including 351 of them as a second baseman, more than any other player at the position. and his eight seasons of at least 100 RBI’s are the most among second baseman in MLB history. I don’t know if anyone exemplifies the rare breed that is middle infielders that rake more than Jeff Kent. So, he’s definitely worthy of the Hall of Fame. I remember Jeff Kent a little bit for his year at the Houston Astros and especially the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish his career, but do you have any thoughts about Jeff Kent and what he did in the late 1990s, early 2000s with the San Francisco Giants? I mean, he was always a heck of an offensive player and probably a little bit underrated on defense. He wasn’t a great defender, but I don’t think he was a complete butcher out there. Yeah, it’s it’s I feel bad because he was a a very good player, but all I can think of when I see another second baseman go to the Hall of Fame is that Lou Whitaker just remains unfairly out. Uh, and you know what? Normally, I don’t even care that much about Hall of Fame stuff because it’s it’s I don’t know, it’s a museum, right? And and people get held out for all sorts of reasons. People get put in for all sorts of reasons. I do I’m not a huge fan of these committees the way they’re doing it. Like I know the writers have screwed up sometimes, right? That it’s the writer’s fault that Luicker didn’t get a second vote even or Kenny Loftton. Some players who deserved at least multiple looks didn’t get them, but the writers didn’t elect Harold Baines uh who doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame. I’m sorry, but Tony Laruso liked him so he got in the Hall of Fame. and Bud Celig is in the Hall of Fame and like, “Hey, great way to expand revenue and shepherd us after the strike, but also you were in charge of the era with all the steroids and none of the steroid players are getting in the Hall of Fame, but you got in.” I don’t love the decisions they’re making. And again, I feel bad not celebrating Jeff Kent, but instead complaining about everything else that’s wrong. But it’s a little bit stunning to me to see a guy who played with Barry Bonds and, you know, I guess he did it right. I I don’t know. But, um, yeah, lots of home runs. I the only thing I can think of is yes, he’s the all-time leader at home runs from a second baseman and they felt like that deserves to be in there and the other traditional like you know offensive numbers you mentioned lots of RBI’s played for a long time good player for a long time so congrats to him I I just uh I’m still uh displeased with the process in general well this is the important Tigers topic regarding the Hall of Fame like can we get Lou Whitaker on the contemporary era ballot next time around in 2028 here’s all I have to say Jeff Kent a second baseman he just got into the Hall of Fame worth 55.4 4 BW and 56 F4. Lou Whitaker, a fellow second baseman worth 75.1 BW and 68.1 FOR. So if you believe in war, and I know a lot of baseball people do, then Lou Whitaker was more valuable than Jeff Kent throughout their respective MLB careers. And not only was Whitaker more valuable than Jeff Kent, but his 75.1 Bore ranked seventh all time among second basemen ahead of many Hall of Famers, including Jeff Kent. I mean, Lou Whitaker won three silver sluggers, four gold gloves, is a five-time all-star, 19-year MLB career, all with the Tigers. Why isn’t Lou Whitaker in the Hall of Fame? I don’t know. He deserves to be on the Contemporary Arab Ballot in 2028 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2029. As for current Tigers news, a few days ago, the Tigers signed right-hander Drew Anderson to a one-year contract with a club option after he spent the past four seasons in Asia. Two years in Japan and then two years in Korea. We still don’t know how much money the Tigers are paying Drew Anderson. And I haven’t been able to track it down despite my best efforts. Nothing is official until he passes his physical, which as of this recording hasn’t happened yet. So, I don’t have a full reaction to the signing because I don’t know all the details. But if we’re assuming it was a lowcost contract around maybe 5 to6 million for 2026 with a 9 to 10 million club option for 2027, then I like this addition in free agency. What’s your initial reaction to the Drew Anderson reunion? Yeah, I mean it was very interesting mostly because of the the talk about him being a starter. I think some fans might remember him from spring training a few years ago and he was also in Toledo briefly. Uh and his stuff looked really interesting out of the bullpen. you know, he was 96 to 98 uh with with missing bats with his fast ball and uh had a high spin breaking ball and and a change up. It looked like, okay, this is interesting. He just wasn’t throwing quite enough strikes and he got beat up a little bit spring training. He was fine in Toledo, but you I thought maybe he might come up as a late inning option at some point. The Tigers must have still believed in him in that way. Uh but yeah, he went off to Korea and was awesome as a starter. And so they I think, you know, they they always kept tabs on him and you know, who knows? It it’s maybe they want they wanted to get him and they he wants to be a starter. So they said, “Hey, here you go. We’ll give you a chance to be a starter in spring training. We’ll see what happens. We still like you as a reliever, and if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll have you in the bullpit.” I I I have no issues with it. It’s in a vacuum. It’s like a tiny little move. It depends on what else goes on in the spring or uh in in the offseason. If they don’t sign anybody else, a Drew Anderson offseason isn’t exactly great, but I’m not expecting that to be the case. So yeah, it’s fine. We’ll see what the money is. Uh I’d be kind of shocked if it’s more than like5 or $6 million, but we’ll see. Here’s the number one reason why I like this move. I think Drew Anderson is Cody Pon, but with more familiarity, a lower guarantee, and more optionality. For those who don’t know Cody Pon, he’s a 31-year-old right-hander. He signed for three years, 30 million with the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched for the Hanwok Eagles in the KBO league with Drew Anderson pitching in the same league for the SSG Landers. For Pon, he had a 1.89 ERA with 252 strikeouts across 180 and 2/3 innings. His 252 strikeouts set the single season record in the KBO league. And for his performance, he won what is essentially the Sai Young Award in Korea, as well as the MVP award in Korea. As for Drew Anderson, 31-year-old right-hander, same as Cody Pon, he posted a 2.25 RA with 245 strikeouts across 171 and 2/3 innings. Just seven fewer strikeouts than Cody Pon. Anderson had a 35.3% strikeout rate. Pon had a 36.2% strikeout rate. Both these guys are the same age. They’re both right-handers. And if it weren’t for Cody Pon’s existence, I think Drew Anderson would be the bigname pitcher everybody was talking about returning to the United States from South Korea, but instead it was Pon. So, the Tigers, they flew under the radar, signed Anderson at a lower guarantee because it’s only one year and with more optionality because of the club option. And then as for the familiarity, as we know, you mentioned it. Tiger signed Drew Anderson to a minor league contract for the 2024 season after he spent his two years in Japan. He showed up to spring training in Lakeland, increased his fastball velocity from like 92 to 98 mph with changes to his mechanics that the Tigers taught him, including the lead leg block. But after he didn’t make Going Day roster, he goes to TripleA Toledo, pitches in nine games, and then he leaves to become a starter in Korea where he spent the past two seasons. So there’s the familiarity there. I like Drew Anderson because of what he presents when it comes to the upside. I know he loved his short stint with the Tigers and the Tigers were obviously impressed by Anderson, not only with his developments in 2024 spring training, but also with what he was able to do when he went to Korea. I did not have Drew Anderson on my radar this offseason, but it’s easy to see why the two sides linked up in free agency. And then as for the actual fit, he’ll report to spring training as a starter. The fallback option is moving to the bullpen. I think that’s more likely and I think he ends up as a reliever where he has more experience. If everyone stays healthy, the Tigers have to ask themselves this during spring training. Do you want Drew Anderson as your fifth starter or do you want Troy Melton as your fifth starter? Right now, I think the Tigers are leaning towards Troy Meltson. I think that’s a pretty significant lean. But if there’s an injury or if Troy Melton underperforms, then Ver Anderson could slot in as the fifth starter. The stuff seems legit. Like in Korea, it was a FAF that was sitting around 95, maxing out at 98.6 miles an hour. That was as a starter. He developed a new kick change which sits at 89 miles an hour. It appears to be a real weapon. He also throws a curveball, cutter, and sweeper. So the five pitch mix here is headlined by the fast ball in the change up, but it’s still a five pitch mix that should be able to play as a starter or reliever. But how effective will it be against MLB hitters? I think only time will tell with that. Don’t forget Victor Reyes, old Tigers friend, went to the KBO league and hit .352 with a .904 OPS in his first season with the Lote Giants. And that tells you everything you need to know about the competition level in Korea. So, that being said, do you worry about Drew Anderson making the transition back to MLB in the United States, especially if it’s as a starter when you know exactly what Victor Reyes did when he went from the big leagues to the KBO league when he be Yeah. became Ted Williams. I’m not too worried about it. I I think that the key thing you mentioned there was the development of the kick change. I mean the reason Cody Pototts got so much money is he developed a splitter over in in Korea and then refined his command. And so when you come back as a different pitcher at least slightly different I I think it changes things. And yeah, if I’m not worried about the competition level I saw he looked good enough to get outs in the bullpen in the big leagues at least, you know, on a semi-consistent basis. If he has another pitch, uh that may make him better. So not too worried about the risk there. Just uh yeah, curious to see how it looks when he comes back. All right, let’s get into the big two. Question one of the big two. What are we keeping an eye on for the Tigers at the winter meetings? For me, five things I’m watching. Will the Tigers trade trick Scooble? Are the Tigers going to sign Alex Bregman? Do the Tigers need another starting pitcher? How should the Tigers upgrade the bullpen? Should the Tigers trade for an outfielder? We’re going to get to Alex Bregman in a little bit. So, let’s skip that for now and start with Trick Scooble. Tigers have a decision to make because they are not going to force a Terrick Scubble trade, but he is not considered untouchable in trade conversations. If a club makes an offer the Tigers can’t refuse, then Scubble will be on the move. If it’s an offer the Tigers can’t refuse, he’s set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. The Tigers are going to ask a ton for him in any trade negotiations that happen. But I don’t see how the Tigers and a different team align on value because the Tigers view Scubble as the most valuable pitcher in baseball and the other 29 teams are going to view him as a one-year rental which makes a trade unlikely. I think it’s just difficult to imagine the Tigers known for their caution, their stubbornness in these negotiations to really find equal value with a different team in a Ter Scubal trade. But if they’re not going to trade him, then they have to build around him or you just keep him and you let him walk for nothing more than draft pick compensation. I don’t know. What do you think about where we’re headed here in the Terk Scubble saga? Because obviously with the winter meetings, free agent rumors, trade rumors, they heat up. Terubel is going to be the talk of the week. Do you think he gets moved here at the winter meetings or do you think the Tigers hold on to him? And if they hold on to him here at the winter meetings, does that signify that they’re going to hold on to him all the way through the 2026 season? Yeah, you know, it’s it’s interesting. I think that is kind of the biggest storyline there, right? Like the winter meetings are when the blockbusters happen seemingly. Uh you know, sometimes you get one at the trade deadline, but more often than not, it’s in the winter meetings and and Scooble represents the biggest blockbuster out there, unless you someone comes from left field. I I do, you know, there’s been all sorts of stories about, hey, the Tigers are listening. I think the Tigers should trade them. All that stuff. I do I fall into that status of I’ll believe it when I see it. I still like you said that they’re pretty cautious with stuff like this. I don’t think they are going to go out there searching to trade T school. One thing I I do think might happen is you know I saw a report that you they’re telling teams to give them their best offers, right? Whatever. But I do think maybe just by engaging with more teams, they might work out a smaller deal somewhere. They might find out like, “Oh, that guy’s available. Uh what about do this and and you might see something else happen sort of tangentially related because they were talking about Terkub again.” Yeah. Unless somebody just goes, “Ah, screw it.” You know, here have have our best youngstarter and our two best prospects. I don’t think they’re going to do it. But, uh, you never know. Maybe you guys get together, have some drinks, make a bad decision, and there you go. Now, that’s where I’m at with Ter Scoop. I still view a trade as unlikely. Maybe even less likely than when the season ended, just the way that the offseason has progressed and everything that we’ve heard about the Tigers and everything that we haven’t heard about the Tigers as well. I mean, this team has not come out and said, “Hey, we’re shopping.” They haven’t said anything. The Tigers have given a bunch of no comments. Whether it’s Scott Harris or Jeff Greenberg haven’t said a whole lot and with where the Tigers are at, no, Terubel is not untouchable, but at the same time, it has to be an offer the Tigers can’t refuse. And if the Tigers are in trade conversations, that asking price will be skyhigh for Trail. So much so that I just can’t imagine one of the other 29 teams saying, “Yeah, take our best starter and take our best two prospects and we’re going to do that deal for one year of Terk Scubble knowing that he’s going to become a free agent after the 2026 season.” Like that’s just where the value doesn’t align with a pitcher of Terub’s magnitude, a reigning twotime Sai Young winner. So with that being said, I am not expecting Terra Scubble to be traded at the winter meetings, but crazier things have happened. As for starters, the Tigers have five pitchers set for their rotation. Terk Scubble, Reese Olsson, Jack Flity, Casey M, and Troy Melton, plus Drew Anderson. My question is this. Should the Tigers feel comfortable with Scooble, Olsen, and Flity as their top three starters? I wouldn’t say comfortable just given that that Olsen hasn’t stayed healthy for an entire season, and Flity’s been so up and down. Obviously, Scoo is going to carry that. You would like for them to target a top of the rotation arm. It’s somebody who would take over maybe as the ace after Scubble’s gone, but that doesn’t necessarily seem like uh something that’s gonna happen. You know, there’s been talk we talked about last week about Michael King. He would be an interesting name along those lines. Uh there’s lots of talk about Mackenzie Gore being available. That would not really solve a whole lot of things because uh he’s he’s kind of Derek Scubble minus a year and not as good. Like he’s a Boris client, a lefty. He had a really bad second half last year. It would be an interesting frontline arm for a year or two, but you’re just kicking the can down the road there a little bit. So yeah, I mean I I in my head just based on what they’ve done in the past, I do feel like they’re going to add another pitcher who can start beyond Drew Anderson. Maybe it’s another actual starter or another reliever the starter conversion candidate. But yeah, as much as it would I think you need another good frontline arm, maybe that’s something you could approach at the trade deadline down the road. If you if you’re looking really good again and you’re like, we need that second pitcher to get us through the postseason, maybe you could do it then, but I’m not necessarily thinking they’re going to do it now. even though they might want to. When I look at the three names that I mentioned, Terrick Scubel, Reese Olson, and Jack Flirty, yeah, Scubble is elite, but Olsson has the injury history. Flirty has been inconsistent. I think that’s why you go out and you acquire a high upside starter to slot behind Scooble, not only for 2026, but also then to maybe take over as the primary frontline starter once becomes a free agent. I think that raises the Tigers ceiling, especially in the upcoming postseason if the Tigers were to get there. Or you just think about a a best of three wild card series. How much better do you feel about Terk Scooel, Michael King, and Ree Souls than you do about Terk Scubble, Ree Soulson, and Jack Flity? I think that raises the bar significantly. I do think Michael King is the best fit. He had the shoulder and the knee injuries that limited him to 15 starts in 2025. That makes him a buy low candidate for the Tigers, but also makes him a bill low candidate for at least a dozen other teams. And when he’s healthy, he does have the potential to be one of the best starters in the big leagues. I really like Michael King. I think the next best fit is Zack Gallon. And then beyond that, you’re talking about guys like Chris Basset. So, we’ll see what the Tigers end up doing on the starter front, but I definitely think it would benefit them to go out and get one more arm to pitch behind Scooble in the rotation. I think that’s something that they’re looking to do. As for the bullpen, the reliever market has already moved quickly. The notable signings, Devin Williams for three years, 51 million with the New York Mets, Ryan Hley, whom the Tigers preferred as a starter for two years, 28 million with the Baltimore Orioles, Alio Pagan for 2 years, 20 million with the Cincinnati Reds, and Rosella Glaciius for one year, 16 million with the Atlanta Braves. Upgrading the bullpen is a priority for the Tigers. But with this fastm moving market, I think it’s fair to wonder if the opportunity to secure a high leverage reliever or two of them is going to pass the Tigers by if they don’t get aggressive here at the winter meetings. Like let’s say the Tigers sign someone like Michael King to join the rotation. Then you can shift both Drew Anderson and Troy Melt into the bullpen. But that still doesn’t solve the core issue that is will vest the only reliever the Tigers can trust in high leverage situations. And if the Tigers don’t act fast, there might not be any favorable options available in free agency because this reliever market has been moving very quickly. So even more so than Trick Scubble and Alex Bregman, what I’m watching with the Tigers at the winter meetings is how they address their rotation and upgrade their bullpen. For the record, again, I don’t think Terubel gets traded at the winter meetings and I don’t think Alex Bregman signs at the winter meetings. And if both those things are true, then pitching is going to be the spotlight for the Tigers, both the rotation and the bullpen. Yeah, I think the relief market is the thing I’m watching the closest here at the winter meetings. Uh there still are a number of interesting sort of middle relievers that might help the team. We talked last week like there’s just not a whole lot of people to trust. So, and you don’t want to go the just bodies route uh of commando/ last year’s trade deadline. Been there, done that, don’t want to go back. But there I mean there’s some interesting guys out there. you can probably get for, I don’t know, 7 to 10 million for one or two years. I’ve mentioned Sir Anthony Dominguez before. There’s uh Brad Keller. They’ve got, you know, Hunter Harvey’s out there. Uh there’s some some other interesting names. So, I’m I’m curious to see which from that group they’ll go. I I keep thinking in my head that they’re going to do like they’re going to sign Steven Matz as another guy, then say, “Hey, we’ll give you a chance to start.” And then he just becomes their third lefty reliever. But yeah, there are interesting names out there that that should help the bullpen. I’m just again I’m like the way I’m not expecting a frontline starter. I’m not expecting a closer level or even like a setup man level reliever, but they do need to go out and get a couple good relievers. Why do the Tigers keep targeting these relievers with plans to turn them into starters? Like one, it was Ryan Hley. Two, it was Brad Keller. Now, you mentioned Steven Mats as a potential third name, but the Tigers showed interest in both Ryan Hley and Brad Keller. Ryan Hley obviously signs with the Orioles. Brad Keller still a free agent, could be in play for the Tigers, and Steven Matz is a great name there as well. Why do they keep doing this? Well, Andrew Anderson too, you know, uh, our buddy Raelio Castillo, he wrote an article about this, uh, at his round table thing, and it’s I and I don’t want to get too reductive, and you should go read it if you get a chance, but it’s essentially boil it down to kind of an extension of the pitching chaos idea and and saving money. And like the main reason I can think to do it is that that pitcher wants to be a starter and you say, “Sure, we’ll give you a chance to start even if you don’t mean it.” If it gets you to sign the guy, you say, “Sure.” And beyond that, I don’t know. It does feel like, you know, they’re just so confident in their ability to help these pitchers and make them better. And we’ve seen it a couple times. We’ve seen other times not so much. Generally speaking, it’s it’s worked fairly well for the guys they sign before the season and have a chance to work with them all spring. There was no help in Kentaya, unfortunately. But, you know, Michael Lorenza worked out well. Jack Clarity, you know, at one point. So, they believe in their ability to do that. It and I guess the other thing is like the healthy one doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, right? Like that’s a guy who was going to get paid like a second tier reliever and he got that what $14 million a year. So I think the idea maybe you can take somebody who’s more like a middle relief market a $4 to $8 million a year and turn him into a solid number four number five starter and that’s a great value but are why are you worried so worried about getting value instead of getting good pitchers? That’s the thing that I don’t quite get. And the Tigers went all in there too by the way. I mean they they had a whole presentation that they laid out for Ryan Hley. I mean, he had strong interest in signing with them to become a starter, but ultimately decided that being a reliever, being the closer of the Orioles was the best path forward for him. I’m sure he’s thinking down the road about an Edwin Diaz type of contract if all goes well in 2026 and he’s able to exercise that opt out clause and hit the free agent market again next off season. I’m sure he’s thinking about a big deal that he could lock down as a closer, probably the safer play for him as well. But the Tigers, they were all in on the Ryan Hley experiment and they they they again they were very thorough in their presentation. They impressed him and his representatives. Like Tigers did a fantastic job there. They weren’t able to land him, but that was something that they were very committed to trying to make happen. It is very interesting and I’d love to, you know, be able to talk to them and figure out what they think they’re, you know, what what they see, but of course they will never say that because they view it as their sort of competitive advantage. But this also isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon. People may remember this. Uh the Tigers turned Phil Ko into a starter back in 2011. Now he had started in the miners and then came up as a reliever and they were like well we need a fifth starter so let’s try Phil Ko and he wasn’t great in that role. It was like a close to a five RA. He survived and then they moved him back to the bullpen. And so that’s like I don’t mind if you’re trying this right if you if you think you can do it and you think you can get a good starter out it fine. What you don’t want to do is just keep doubling down on it if it’s not working. And Phil Co basically just couldn’t strike anybody out as a starter. That was the main issue. So, like, you know, if you want to give it a try, uh, just just don’t keep with it because you don’t want, you know, all those wins matter. So, if you’re, you know, trying to force this square peg into a round hole for the first half of the season and you lose two games that you shouldn’t, that’s huge. So, just be mindful of that. Give it a try. Do your stuff. If it works, good. If it doesn’t, don’t be married to it. Some high leverage reliever options the Tigers could pursue in free agency for traditional reliever roles. Kyle Finnegan, Pete Fairbanks, Sir Anthony Dominguez, Hunter Harvey, Kenley Jansen, Brad Keller, Robert Suarez, Luke Weaver, and of course Edwin Diaz. I think my favorite options within reason, which means no Edwin Diaz, Luke Weaver, Kyle Finnegan, and maybe give me Hunter Harvey while we’re at it. I think Luke Weaver, Kyle Finnegan, and Hunter Harvey would be the exact type of quantity and quality additions the Tigers desperately need in their bullpen rather than the trade deadline mistake of quantity over quality. The Tigers had interest in Kyle Finnegan and Pete Fairbanks in the reliever market. It sounds like Pete Fairbanks could sign here at the winter meetings. While Finnegan and the Tigers, as of now, they’re not close to an agreement. So, maybe put a pin in that while we’re here today. But if the Tigers added those two and nobody else, would you be satisfied with Finnegan and Fairbanks as the only bullpen upgrades or would that leave you wanting more? On paper, it would be fine. I guess I do think it would be a little underwhelming. Uh it’s it’s now been two full seasons since Fairbanks was like an elite strikeout guy. He remains an elite interview guy. It would probably be an asset to the locker room and a lot of fun for the beat writers. Uh he’s a a funny dude who says whatever he thinks. But as for like as good as Chris Federer and Juan Neves and Robin Lund are, I’m not sure how much more they can mine out of him. You know, I feel like they could get more out of guys who come from the Nets or, you know, the Cardinals or something like that. But maybe not the Rays. The Rays are pretty good at getting everything out of their uh their pitchers. And as as Greg Dwitt told us last week, uh you you would probably be a little bit worried about Fairbanks’s Rainod syndrome in cold weather. You know, you can’t feel your two fingers when it gets cold. That’s not ideal for a pitcher. Again, it’s probably fine. You know, like a Finnegan in Fairbanks is better than Finnegan and Keanley, which they had last year. It’s just kind of a very moderate upgrade. So, we just covered a lot of topics, but is there anything else that you’re keeping tabs on regarding the Tigers in free agency in trades at the winter meetings? Maybe two trade candidates, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jiren Duran or Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Catel Marte. Any thoughts there or on anything else here as the winter meetings are underway? Yeah, I mean, I I I haven’t thought much about them targeting a bat. The Tigers are just such a a strange situation here where they don’t have any real obvious holes, but they also don’t have any real like obvious stars. Riley Green you could say is a star left and and Glabber Torres has been an all-star and all this good stuff. The only real obvious hole is where they have the most financial commitments at shortstop with Jav Bayz and now you can play him at center or whatever. That doesn’t mean they can’t upgrade, but it does make it a little bit harder to find a good fit for an upgrade. The Marte stuff is is interesting because he’s obviously he’s a very good player. Uh my buddy Jerry uh you know went and put posted on Twitter that he’s uh pretty darn close to Jos Ramirez over the last several years. You know, one of the better hitters in baseball. He is 32 and you’d have him signed through the age 38 season which is basically like what you’d get from Bregman I think right if you signed Bregman now you’re probably going to have him through that you know that same time frame uh only Marte would be cheaper the issue becomes well Marte is is only a second baseman he’s played different positions but not really in any real capacity since 2021 and you have Glabber Torres there for this year now it’s possible you could send Arizona Glabber Torres in a deal but Torres would have to approve that it’s uh getting accepting a qualifying offer gives you like this little baby no trade clause where you could you have to approve a trade until June 15th. You can’t be traded against your will. Well, I can tell you right here right now that Glabber Torres prefers spring training in Florida as opposed to Arizona. So, or you know, or do you want to do you want to go play for kind of a rebuilding Arizona team here? Uh I mean, maybe it’ll be who knows who knows what Glabber would would would do there, but like you said, he probably would prefer to stay with the Tigers. So, that’s probably tough. So then beyond that to get a player like Marte, you’re you’re giving up almost certainly giving up Troy Melton, probably Colt Keefe, and probably a couple other pieces in the miners and and it might make you slightly better in 2026, but down the road, I don’t know how much better it makes you. It’s tough. Like it would be an interesting splashy move for sure. It just doesn’t feel like the right fit there. Speaking of a bat, let’s get to question two of the Big Two. The Tigers interest in Alex Bregman is lukewarm entering the winter meetings. Do you expect the Tigers to turn up the heat or do you think the Tigers will stick with Colt Keith at third base and stay focused on pitching? A little bit of background there. The Tigers like Alex Bregman as a player and we know that because the Tigers offered 6 years, 171.5 million last offseason before Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox. But as I’ve reported, the Tigers interest is lukewarm so far this offseason. Here’s what that means. The Tigers are monitoring the situation, keeping him on their on their board, on their radar, but they’re not aggressively pursuing him right now. Based on my understanding, I would categorize it as non-committal right now. Now, that could change here at the winter meetings where there will be conversations between Tigers president of baseball operations, Scott Harris, and Bregman’s agent, Scott Boris. For now, I don’t think Bregman will sign with the Tigers, but again, that can change as quickly as the Tigers redefine their level of interest. But until that happens, this situation seems like it’s nothing more than the Tigers liking Alex Bregman as a player and simply keeping tabs on his market. Yeah, I mean, he still feels like an ideal fit for the team to me, right? He’s it’s a a big red-handed bat, a great leader, plays a position of need, all that stuff. I you know, they tried the super aggressive pursuit last year, so maybe they’re going like full pickup artist and try to like neg him a little bit like, oh, no, we’re not all that interested to see if he turns around. I I don’t think that works in sports, but hey, maybe they’re giving a shot. I don’t know. Like I said, it’s kind of surprising that they’re not more interested, but they waited all off season for him last year and and lost got left at the the altar. So maybe they’re not going to put up with that this year. Maybe they’re going to pursue other potential options. I you don’t hear much about it, but maybe like if they want an upgrade at third base, maybe they could look at Suarez just uh like if they can get him for a reasonable deal, then fine. We’re not worried about Breman. I do think it wouldn’t uh be the worst thing in the world if you go into next year with Colt Keith as your starting third baseman. He’s a young player. He’s got things to work on, but again, he’s he’s young, and it would be nice, I think, for him to finally have an off seasonason where he’s not moving a position, learning to play second or learning to play first or moving all over the place. Like, just give him a set position. Let him work on it and see what happens. And there’s some some room to get better offensively, too. I think particularly if he works, you know, does a little bat speed training in the offseason cuz he’s got everything else is pretty good. Uh his bat speed is a little bit light, and I think part of that is is based on the way he swings. Part of it is just uh I don’t know, maybe something he can can improve. But, uh, yeah, he went he made some improvements last year that aren’t necessarily super visible, but you can look at at his numbers. He would went from being in the 19th percentile in terms of pulling the ball in the air, which is, you know, bottom fifth of the league, to above 50%, was like 53%. So, he made some real changes to a swing. It might not have jumped off the page. But, if he can lean more into that, pulling the ball in the air, the power numbers come up and he’ll look more like a traditional third baseman. Like I said, like I I think that’s a completely acceptable option there. I wouldn’t not sign Alex Bregman to have Colt Keith at third base, but if they don’t sign Alex Bregman, I think they’ll be okay. I think it’s important to remember how he got here. If the Tigers pursued Alex Bregman aggressively for 3 months, they put the largest contract offer on the table, but instead Alex Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox for 3 years, 120 million, which included two optout clauses and a large amount of deferred money. And after one season with the Red Sox, Bregman opted out in search of a long-term contract in free agency. We also have Glabber Torres who accepted the one-year 22.025 million qualifying offer to return to the Tigers instead of testing free agency. And when that happened to the surprise of some within the Tigers organization, I think the chances of Bregman and the Tigers linking up this off season became less likely. So, as of today, it’s Spencer Tolson at first base, Glabber Torres at second base, Javier Bayz at shortstop, and Cole Keith at third base with infield prospects How Lee, Max Anderson, and Kevin McGonagal coming soon. With all that being said, we know Alex Bregman is a good fit for the Tigers. But is he that good of a fit for the Tigers? Consider this. Bregman received three years 120 million from the Red Sox. But what people don’t understand is that 60 million was deferred, meaning the present-day value was actually 3 years 85 million, not 3 years 120 million. That means Bregman earned 28 million from the Red Sox in 2025, not 40 million. I keep going back to this because it’s what Scott Boris does with these short-term contracts with opt outs. Alex Bregman wanted seven years 200 million last offseason. So to get there across two free agencies after earning 28 million, not 40 million in 2025, he needs 6 years 172 million without any deferred money this off season. That’s how he gets to 7 years 200 million. if that’s what it’s going to take to lead the market and sign Bregman, do you think it’s smart for the Tigers to do that? Or is it better to wait out the market and see how things unfold? Because if the Red Sox move on by signing Pete Alonzo, and if the Cubs move on by sending Aeno Suarez, then where does Bregman end up when it’s time to report to spring training? Like maybe he’s the one who comes crawling back to the Tigers rather than the other way around. Yeah, I mean that’s a good point. It’s with these free agency big deals is always a matter. It’s a a balancing act, right? Like you want to be aggressive to get the guys you want, but if you think that their prices is ridiculous and nobody else is going to give it to them. No harm in waiting it out. Uh but we saw they like I said, we saw the effect of that last year as they ended up not getting them. It really does depend on how much they want them. I I And you’re reporting that it’s kind of lukewarm. Makes me feel like it’s probably not going to happen. But again, like if you if you feel like you can get him at a good price, I think he’s a great addition. Last year would have been a he could have been a huge addition last year. And it’s it’s sucks to think about that in retrospect, but 2026 is a new season and you got to have new plans and new potential for the future. So yeah, I I don’t have a problem with them not going all out to get them, but uh sure monitoring it and seeing what other people are are offering him. Nothing wrong with that. Even more so than Bregman, I think Hassan Kim could be maybe the best option for the Tigers. And the Tigers have interest in Hassan Kim for the second offseason in a row. His primary position is shortstop. So there’s a clear spot for him in the everyday lineup if you were to push Javier Bayz into maybe a more fitting utility role. But he also plays second base and third base. It’s a little bit complicated with Gabri Torres as the everyday second baseman, but probably not as complicated as signing Alex Bregman to play third base for the next six years. For Hassan Kim, it’s probably going to be a two-year contract. And the second year might even be a club option, which the Tigers love. He’s a right-handed hitter. When he’s right, he’s hitting 250 with a 10% walk rate and a 20% strikeout rate with moderate power and above average defense at shortstop, second base, and third base. Two years at Hassan Kim or six years of Alex Bregman. At this point, when you consider Kevin McGonagal is coming. Colt Keefe can play third base, and the Tigers would benefit from an upgrade at shortstop. Sign me up for Hassan Kim. I don’t think he’s the best player, but I do think he could be the best fit, even better than Alex Bregman and Bo Bashette. Plus, I also don’t think the Tigers have enough payroll space to be able to add another starter, two relievers, and Alex Bregman. Not unless they’re willing to go over 200 million, but I don’t see that happening. However, they could add another starter, two relievers, and Hassan Kim all for about 35 to 40 million, taking the 2026 opening day payroll to roughly 175 million, which is where it would have been in 2025 had the Tigers signed Bregman last off season. As for Hassan Kim, does that name interest you? It does. I mean, you know, a right-handed bat who to play shortstop, I think, would be a great ad for them. You’ve mentioned Namad Rosario before. Like, I think they need somebody who can do that. And Kim Kim is a great sort of utility guy. I I you’re not going to get a ton of offense from him. You might get solid average offense from him, but given that ability to play defense at multiple entryfield positions and be another right-handed bat, it does uh it does peique my interest. And again, like you said, if they can get him for a relatively cheap deal, as it were, I’ I’d be all in because it does still lengthen your lineup. Again, he’s not a big bopper. You’re going to bet third or fourth or fifth, but yeah, he makes your team better and he fits a need that they have. So, I I’d be all for that. All right, we are going to take a break and when we come back, we’re joined by Red Sox radio broadcaster Will Fleming to talk more about Alex Bregman. [Applause] [Music] Everyone, I’d like to welcome Will Fleming, the radio voice of the Boston Red Sox to the Days of Podcast for the first time. Here to talk about free agent third baseman, Alex Bregman. We had Houston Astros radio voice Robert Ford last offseason for this topic. So, we’re lucky to have Will this off season after Bregman played for the Red Sox in the 2025 season. Will Fleming, thank you for joining me. Evan, great to be with you, man. I love everything Detroit Tigers. I love all the people that run your organization. It’s a class act up there and I’m happy to be on with you. Well, let’s start with the question that everyone in Detroit wants to know. Where do you expect Alex Bregman to sign this off season? And do you think the Tigers have any chance of landing him after finishing as one of his three finalists last off season? That’s I mean, it’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I’d be lying if I felt certain that he’ll be back in Boston. I know that Alex and his wife loved being with the Red Sox, and I know that he’d like to be back. And I know that there are parts of the Red Sox organization that would love to have Alex be their third baseman for the next three, four years. I do not read Craig Brelo’s mind. I don’t know their intentions. And I think that’s what’s fun about today. We’re recording this on a Monday afternoon, right? The winter meetings are starting right now. And I think that it’s a big game of musical chairs with all of these things. And whether it’s Pete Alonzo, Kyle Schwarber, Bo Bashette, all these guys are interconnected and Bregman is one of those. I think the Red Sox went into the off season with every intention of retaining Alex Bregman. And I think Alex wants to be in Boston, but his agent is Scott Boris. And so that plays itself out in its own way. And they don’t want to be into a a year with CBA uncertainty without a contract. So that’s why he opts out. I don’t think he’s going to get $40 million for six years. He’s not. I wouldn’t I would be shocked if that happened. And so it comes down to does a team like the Red Sox or another club value him for 5 years at $35 million? That’s just the brass tax of this thing. And we’ll see. We’ll see how the market plays out. I I think it’s sort of like Pete Alonzo, right? Like we went through this show last year and the market said what it said. And both these guys in their own unique ways did things that make their incumbent teams the favorite, I guess, to retain them and make them more incentivized to keep them. And yet the market is what it is. And so God bless them both if they want to go and try to seek a five sixyear deal for 30 $35 million. I’m not sure that’s there for either. So, we’ll see how it plays out. I know the Red Sox have huge interest in it. I know Alex had a great time in Boston. We’ll see how it plays out. The market is the market and we are about to find out what the market says about Alex Bregman, but to learn more about him, what was it like for you getting to know him throughout the 2025 season? We all know what he can do on the field, but what was it like getting to know him behind the scenes? Yeah, I would say that um this is why he was a Boston Red Sox is that Alex Kora knew him better than most people and he said to the organization and he really kind of pushed it across the finish line with some other people saying we need this man, this leader, this veteran and you know I think a lot of times in our business that thing gets oversold and overhyped. Not with this guy. He is the consumate ultimate pro, which is why Scott and Craig and all the people in baseball are trying so hard to have him part of their thing. And again, it’s it’s economics. It’s simple math. Can we justify a mid30s third baseman who might be on the back nine of his career and might get hurt a little bit more than he did before? Can we justify five, six, seven years, four years at high dollars? I think most teams will say we’ll see. He was and is an incredible leader for this Red Sox team. Incredible. And the best part about Bregman is that he meshes with the manager. He meshes with the young upand cominging superstar players that the Red Sox do have. And he also is a great mentor to, you know, the kind of the role players, the Rob refiders, the Romy Gonzalez’s. He is. Alex Bregman is everything that every general manager should want and does want from a major league ball player. He just gets it. He’s the first guy on the field to start the day. He works harder than everybody. He is a baseball rat. He wants to talk about it at all times, which I think Evan, like in the modern game, I think we’re undervaluing that. And that’s where I think Kyle Schwarber should be overpaid. If any team can get Kyle Schwarber, they should. He’ll make his own decision. But like these people who live and breathe and drink it, who want to do nothing other than baseball, they’re rare breeds. Everybody now is in the lab doing drive line. I shouldn’t overuse that term, but everybody is doing Trackman. Let’s optimize grips and swing and launch angle and all this stuff. And those guys, Bregman’s and Schwarbers of the world, they get into that. But it’s it’s founded on this bedrock of like lived baseball experience. And those guys have so much credibility in every room they walked into. And I’m telling you, to answer your question, Bregman did all of that times 100 in the Red Sox clubhouse. What do you think led to the success that he had on the field? Because it’s one thing what he does behind the scenes, but then you got to take it out on the field and perform. And it’s easy to forget Alex Bregman, a 933 OPS in his first 83 games. I know he had the injury. I know he struggled a little bit down the stretch, but he was one of the best players for the Red Sox in 2025. I don’t know if you play golf or not, but if you do, you step on the par4 that you like that you sort of have that sighteline and you know the T- shot, your body just tells you to do it. I think that’s Fenway Park for Alex Bregman. I really do. And he just feels at home there. He’s a great Fenway Park hitter. What made him a good player last year? All of it. I mean, like the work he put in, the preparation that he always does. I’d be lying if I told you I had all the answers to that. But what I do know is talking to everybody around him and to him, he just does the work. He does the work and it’s the right fit for him. And the guy, he just wants to be his best self at all times. And you know, the Red Sox were not the same team the minute he got hurt. And frankly, he wasn’t the same player once he came back and he had to kind of dial it back a little bit, choose when to push it on the base pass especially. But even when he was hurt, he was in the clubhouse in the dugout, traveled with the team. He’s the consmate professional teammate ball player that you want. If you want to have a champion, I think he’s the kind of guy that you just want to have on your club. With all that being said, and I know you hinted at this initially, but if you had to predict, what are the odds Alex Buggman signs with the Boston Red Sox again in free agency? You know, when the season ended, Evan, I would have said 90%, 95% even. But now, I do think it’s kind of a coin flip. I really do. And that’s because there are going to be a lot of teams interested in him, and you never know. But I would just say again, go back to last year. These guys played the market last year. The world tells them what is available. And like, do the Cubs have interest in Alex Bregman? Sure they do. Do the Tigers have interest in Bregman? Of course they do. The Tigers offered him six years and 175 whatever million dollars and he said no. And he came to Boston. There’s a reason for that, right? Like you have to think about these guys in a different context. This is not a Kyle Tucker. This is not even an Otani, although that’s its own thing. These guys have a lot of options and I think they have veteran wherewithal to know where they want to play and be. And I think that’s where from a Tigers perspective things get very interesting because it’s sort of like the Blue Jays who have now, you know, signed Cease and once they’re in the World Series, they stepped up. They were in on Sodo and all of these big free agents and nobody wants to live in Canada. They don’t. That’s just the reality of it. And from a free agent perspective, people did not previously want to live in Toronto. Tax implications, all these things. And frankly, I think that the Tigers face a similar challenge. It is an awesome baseball town. It’s a great It’s one of America’s best sports towns. But you only know that when you live there and you play there. And so somebody like Bregman, like Soda, like anybody, it’s a harder ask of a player from the Tigers. It just is. Do you want to come to Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium or Dodger Stadium or do you want to play in Detroit? It’s a really hard complicated thing which is I mean I’m sure we’ll talk about Scooble. I’m sure all these things come into play but I it’s what Scott has done up there and what the team has done and built is remarkable given that thing which is so real. Like the modern player does not want to play in Detroit. They just don’t. They want to go to warm climates or historic cities and towns. So the Tigers are operating with a handicap in that way. And I think that’s where your fan base needs to understand how remarkable it is what has happened there given those facts. We’ll get to trick Google, but aside from Bregman, what are the other priorities for the Red Sox this off season? Seems like there’s rumblings of some big bats, a frontline starter to pitch behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation. Did the Red Sox already address the rotation by trading for Sunny Gray? And what else is out there for them with both pitchers and position players? I think the one thing about Craig Brezlo is that we’ve learned that he is the monster of the off season. And he does deliver on the things that he says he wants to do. And he went into this off season saying we need a number two starter and we need two impact bats. Okay. So, I don’t think that he views Sunonny Gray as the lock stop game over number two starter. I think there the Twins just came out and said they don’t want to trade Joe Ryan. Fine. So, Joe Ryan’s off the table. I think it’s very real that the Red Sox will still try to trade a ton of high prospect talent to get a number two starter. I think that’d be their preferred avenue for pitching. And they’re going to get two bats. And if Bregman’s one of them, great. If it’s a Bregman Tucker combo, if it’s a Bregman Schwarber, Alonzo combo, you know, two of those three or four guys, I think they’re going to really actively pursue that. Again, these markets are so unpredictable and we’ll see what the other teams in the game offered. And do do the Cincinnati Reds woo Kyle Schwarber home where he’s from in his native sort of area with a 4-year $160 million deal? I don’t know. It’s possible. And would he be really intrigued by that? Yes, he would. So, I think definitely the Red Sox, whether they trade for Catel Marte and then sign a Bregman or or an Alonzo or any of those other combinations. I think the one thing about Craig Brezler that’s wild and and so hard for somebody like me who knows him and works with and for him, like he’s just unpredictable. Like it could they sign the Japanese first baseman and then trade for a pitcher that Freddy Peralta and like all of those things are on the table. I do know that they know they need to get a lot better. Look it the Red Sox are not in the Tigers division. Like the Blue Jays were in the World Series. The Yankees are the Yankees. The Orioles were out of all of their starting pitching. The Rays are the Rays. Like it is the hardest division going. Just is. And so I think that the ownership group and the GM know we’ve got to get better. Like they they’re not deluded by this. They also traded Rafi Deereies in the middle of season last year and they’ve got all that money to spend too. And I don’t think that when they say they want to reallocate that money that is like appeasing the fan base. They want to spend the money. Now do they want to go into the third tax threshold? We’ll see about that. but they want to be in the top whatever 7 8 9 10 teams in in spending and then give themselves some leeway if they’ve got a really good club to add at the deadline. But I believe them wholeheartedly they want to spend they’ve got money to do it. So I think that I really do think that in the next let’s call it three four five days I think the Red Sox could make some huge headlines. So, if Craig Brezlo is unpredictable, do you think the Red Sox or any team for that matter should trade for Terk Scubble, who will cost a fortune to land via trade only to become a free agent after the 2026 season? What are your thoughts on that situation? How many times can I say yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And I think Scott faces something that the Red Sox face with Mookie Bets where it’s a little different because Boston’s Boston, Detroit’s Detroit. And not to disparrage the Detroit market, but you know, a free agent player in theory should want to be in Boston forever. I’m not sure that Muki really would have stayed. I think there’s been some revisionist history about all that. They offered him $300 million the year before he got traded and he said no. Um, he was always the guy who wanted to test the market. Terrick Skuba has a chance to be the highest paid pitcher of all time and the Tigers are not going to do that. I just I mean and I think he it’s a similar situation where I no matter how much money they throw at him, he loves it and he’s my favorite pitcher not named Garrett Crochet in baseball cuz they’re so similar, right? It’s just that FU mentality and every time they take the ball, you know what you’re going to get. So, I’ve always been sort of of the Dave Dumbroski mentality and don’t sleep on the Phillies to get scubable to. I don’t think they have the prospect capital to do it. But Dave is the kind of guy who sees a guy like Scooble on an a free agent pending deal and says, “F it. This is the best pitcher in the game. I don’t know what this 19-year-old shortstop’s going to look like. I don’t know what this 23-year-old starting right fielder for me right now is going to be in the end. I do know what Scubble is and he can win me a World Series.” So, I think that there’s a very good chance that a big market club steps up and does it and anyone who has that opportunity. I I swear to God, Evan, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, I would trade every single prospect in the system for Scubble. And if you don’t do that, to your question, like you have the money to re-up him and you’d like to talk to him and say, “All right, we’re going to make you the highest paid pitcher in the game after we trade for you.” But to me, if a guy like that is available, trade everybody. And that includes the starting outfield of the club right now. Trade everyone to get an asset like that. I would do that. A big reason for the Tiger success, it’s Ter Scubble. What have been your thoughts on what the Tigers have done over the past two seasons with leadership from president of baseball operation Scott Harris reaching the ALDS in back-to-back seasons? How do you view the Tigers among the other 29 teams? and watching from afar, how close do you think they are to winning the World Series? Th that’s the that’s those two are very different questions. I think that um what Scott has done and what Chris leads there is an amazing thing and I think I had an opportunity to talk to them about their television job and meet with them and I was so impressed with everything the Tigers are doing. I think Scott Harris is really one of the great young executives in the entire sport and I think he prioritizes the right things and I think he gets it. Not only the the key to the modern game now is of course everybody’s got the same tools. Everybody values analytics and all these things. It’s do you have the wherewithal to understand team culture, personality, like all the things that go into a clubhouse and a roster. And I think Scott is one of those guys. And frankly, like I have I feel lucky to know him pretty well. I think that Scott is one of these unicorns in baseball where he gets all of the modern stuff. He knows all the numbers and all the analytics and he’ll challenge you on everything in the best possible way. And he’ll also understand humanity and want to hire the best people. And you’ve got a great manager in AJ Hinch. I mean, I there are not many other than Alex Cora that I would that I would trade for other than AJ. Like, you have a great GM and a great manager. The question becomes, do PE players at the highest level want to play in Detroit? And does Scott work over that competitive disadvantage? I mean, that’s the crazy part of this thing. And they’re doing it like, and they’re finding these undiscovered talents and making them really good players in a way. And Green is great. Carpenter’s awesome. Like maybe the young pitching other than Scubble has not materialized in the way that maybe the previous regime would have hoped, but I trust in Scott 100% to make those right decisions and get the right pieces. All right, before we get out of here, I want to invite our listeners to learn about your journey as a broadcaster. Your brother Dave has been the play-by-play broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants since 2003. But how did you become the radio voice of the Red Sox? What’s your backstory? We don’t have two hours to to tell that. But cliffnotes version. Yeah. I went to Stanford uh in California. I did radio broadcasting there, but I never went to school thinking I would be a big league broadcaster. Obviously, my brother showed me that it can be a viable thing. And I I started in tech. I worked in Silicon Valley and loved that. And then after 10 years of doing that, I thought to myself, my heart’s not in this. I need to pursue my dream. So, it took me nine years in the minor leagues. Lancaster, PTOAC, Indianapolis, Pucket, and then to the Red Sox. And it’s a journey that I’ll never change anything for. I would never regret any step. It was hard, but that all the good things in life are are hard. And I’m I’m thrilled that I made that choice. Hey, one more thing, and it’s about the Tigers, and it’s about the Red Sox, and it’s about Patriots Day. The Tigers are coming to Fenway Park in Boston for Patriots Day. Can you give us a little bit of an insight into what that’s like? What are Tigers fans who make the trip going to experience? What am I going to take in? What are the players going to experience? That’s a pretty important day, especially there in Boston. I’ll tell you what, Evan, there is no better sports day in America than Patriots Day in Boston. It’s something that like it it’s so emotional for everyone in Boston. And it took on a different tone in 2013 with the marathon bombing. And I work with Will Will Middlebrooks on the radio a lot of times. and he says the most emotional day of his entire life was taking the field for the first time after the bombing. There’s a very narrow tunnel. Fenway is an old constrained historic ballpark which is part of its glory. You walk into Fenway Park, you smell the spilled beer and the mustard of 100red years. You really do. And you walk out and you see the green monster and you feel the history of everything that’s happened there. And in the same way, there’s only so much we can do with our clubouses. Like the Tigers are in a space not bigger than my living room as their clubhouse. The home clubhouse sits right obviously behind the first base dugout. And there’s a long staircase down and then a very long thin hallway that now has the batting cages adjacent to it. And middle Brooks tells me that the day that he ran out onto the field after the marathon bombing that hallway and I’m literally it basically brings me to tears thinking about it lined by Boston fire and police the people that sought out the bombing perpetrators right and the whole city was on total lockdown and it was such a civic rallying cry and obviously everybody remembers Ortiz’s speech. this is our city and that just embodied everything that was Boston. Boston Strong became a a totally real thing. So that has changed it a little bit. I mean, it used to be and it still is. And that’s the cool thing. As life goes on and as everything changes, we’re trying very hard to get back to this joyous celebration of athletic achievement. And what’s wild and so great about it is it starts with the wheelchair participants at the starting line of the Boston Marathon and then it’s the elite Kenyon runners who are battling with Americans and they’re going through Kenmore Square literally as the game is going the finishers of the marathon. We can see them the champions behind the walls of Fenway Park and there is a certain look as I said I think Detroit is one of the great sports towns in America. I don’t know there are many better than Boston and the passion of the place is on full display that day and there’s a certain total civic buyin to that day everybody gets up they get along the race route and they it is such an emotional day for Bostononians and as I say 13 elevated it to a different more serious level but it doesn’t eliminate the joy of it so many people have spent their years training for this race and want to be a part of it. And again, now like that day almost always we have the parents of Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy who was killed at the finish line on with us uh to talk about the Boston Marathon and his parents walk out and his sister throws out the first pitch. And it is it’s that perfect thing. This is why we all love sports, right? It’s why George W. Bush after 9/11 threw out the first pitch in a bulletproof vest and threw a strike and that resonates. That happens every year at Fenway Park on Marathon Day. It is Patriots Day is the best day of the year. It is It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. And to me, it’s everything that’s great about all that we love about sports. That’s just incredible. You’re giving me goosebumps thinking about it. I can’t wait to experience it. I’m already looking forward to seeing you for Patriots day and I’m sure it’s going to be an emotional day and I’m sure Alex Bregman will be on the field somewhere either for one of those uniforms, right? I think he’ll be with Boston. I do think he’ll be their third baseman. Here are my predictions, Evan. I got Pete Alonzo at first base, Bregman at third, and TKO the number one number two 1A 1B starter for the Boston Red Sox. Will Fleming. Everyone, thank you for joining the Days of Ver podcast to share your insights about Alex Bregman along with some other Tigers related topics from your perspective. Thanks again for joining me. Loved it, Evan. Thank you so much, everyone. That was Will Fleming, the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox. We have more to discuss this week, including five Terk Scuba mock trades. But first, let’s take a break. [Music] We’re back. Thanks again to Will Fleming, radio broadcaster for the Red Sox for joining us this week. All right, Chris Brown, the winter meetings are underway, which means it’s all Terubble talk. I came up with five hypothetical trades for the Tigers with the winter meetings underway. the five trades sending TKO to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees. I’m going to go through each of these mock trades one by one and get your reaction as we go down the list. The first one, Trick Scooble to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers acquire Terrick Scooel. The Tigers acquire right-hander Emtt Shehan, shortstop Alex Freeland, left-hander Jackson Ferris, and right-hander Christian Zazua. Take it away. Yeah, I mean, I I like this deal. This one seemed plausible to me in terms of something that the Tigers would actually accept because EMTT Shean is is a guy who’s already had success in the big leagues as a starter and they’re going to have to get somebody back like that to even consider a trade, I think. Uh and then beyond that, yeah, you have Jackson Ferris was a guy that they got from the Cubs in a trade a couple years ago. They liked him. He’s been kind of up and down, but it’s a it’s a lefty starter with this stuff. And uh yeah, and then those are the two two key pieces of that. And then you get another infielder switch hitter who can play shortstop. And I think again, we talked about that as a need that would be huge for them. And now Freeland, I don’t know if he’s anything more than an average or slight upgrade over Trace Sweeney or whatever, but it’s another potential body there and he does have some potential. So yeah, I like that trade a lot for them. Terrick Scooble to the New York Mets. Mets acquire TK Scooble. Tigers acquire third baseman Mark Ventos. Right-hander Jonah Tong. Right-hander Brandon Sprro and right-hander Will Watson. All yours. Yeah, this one was a little bit tougher for me because I’m not I’m still kind of skeptical on Jonah Tong. He’s a very highly rated prospect and he was awesome in the minor. He got up to the big leagues last year, but he’s got a really unique delivery and arm slot that you just don’t see from starters. It’s actually the same arm slot as as Trey Savage. So, if you want to be like a big time believer, then you could say, “Oh, he could be like that.” I’m not as convinced that he can consistently land his breaking balls in the zone and and he’s going to have to rely on a lot of chase, and that gets into danger territory. It’s a good prospect. I’m not crazy about him. And and same with Sprro. Sprout was a guy who’s always had a big arm. He feels like an previous Tigers regime arm that they would have targeted, a guy from Florida who throws 100. And he’s had some ups and downs in the minors. He was he was taken off in like double A, they got AAA and stopped striking people out. So, they had to tweak his arsenal a little bit, but it’s a good arm. And so, yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t mind that. And then, you know, you got some some other pieces there that are quality. It’s just uh I don’t know that the Tigers make a deal with the Mets if they’re not getting Nolan Mlan. And I don’t think the Mets are trading Nolan Mlan. Trick Scooble to the Baltimore Orioles. Orioles acquire TK Scubble. Tigers acquire second baseman/ shortstop Jackson Holiday. Left-hander Cade Povich, right-hander Trey Gibson, and outfielder Reed Tremble. Do you think the Orioles would be willing to trade Jackson Holiday? I’m operating under the assumption that they would be able to, but do you think they will or do you think they won’t? And then additionally, if the Orioles were willing to trade Jackson Holiday, would you do this deal? Yeah, that’s a I mean, those are good questions there. I I feel like teams are less likely to trade their former number one overall pick for whatever reason, even if it’s, you know, he hasn’t proven to be uh great so far. I don’t think they would trade Jackson Holiday. I think they still believe that he can be, you know, even better than he has been. But if they would, if they Well, then again, if they would, that would be a great value and I think the Tigers would would definitely consider it. The one thing you have to be convinced of is can he play the left side of the infield because otherwise he’s just another second baseman and you’ve got so so many of those. But, uh, but he’s like a very talented young player, still what, 22. You got to think that there’s better years ahead of him. And beyond that, I really like Tyreek Gibson a lot. I feel like he’s kind of flown under the radar in a lot of prospect rankings. He’s kind of reminds me of Troy Melton a little bit. doesn’t throw quite as hard as Melton, but it’s pretty close. Uh, he’s got good stuff. And Povich is a guy who’s been in the big leagues. He hasn’t, you know, been great, but it’s something for you to work with. And then Reed Treble is an interesting I think he’s a switch hitting outfielder or he’s an outfielder in any regard. Something that they need in the system. So, it’s I think the value is there. I’m just uh yeah, 50/50 as as to whether either team would take it. So, maybe that makes it a good trade. I don’t know. Teroo to the Boston Red Sox. Red Sox acquire. Teroo. Tigers acquire. outfielder/infielder Christian Campbell, left-hander Connelly Early, and right-hander David Sandlin. Your thoughts? Well, this is a really fun one because, you know, that the Red Sox signed Campbell to that big extension before the year last year. He he came out on fire and then it kind of all collapsed and he was back down and it wasn’t looking great and there’s some concerns about the mechanics of his swing and he was a great story, you know, he I think he was a third or fourth rounder and the Red Sox work on him with bat speed and launch angle and he turned into this monster prospect. Uh there’s still work to be done there. He would be a very fun name to add to the the organization. And then you have two interesting pitchers, too. Uh um Connelly Early is a is a lefty with some good extension and some interesting stuff that that would help you. You could put him in the the rotation right now. Probably he might need a little bit more time in the minors. And then Sandland’s got some interesting stuff. I lean more to him in the bullpen with the way the Tigers are targeting relievers and turning on the starters. Maybe they would be fine with that. But yeah, that’s another one I think where the value is right. It’s just that would take some guts. You’d have to really be confident that Campbell is going to turn things around. Terubell to the New York Yankees. Yankees acquire Terrick Scubel. Tigers acquire outfielder Jason Dominguez, right-hander Carlos Lraange, right-hander Ben Hess, and right-hander Cade Smith. Take it away. Well, this is another one that’s interesting. I I I’ve seen a bunch of these players in person. Lraange is is filthy. Uh it does. He still walks a few too many people to make you a little bit scared that he might end up in the bullpen, but he throws 102, 103 with like a 90 mph slider. It’s pretty nasty. H is another guy who’s kind of like Craig Gibson. He’s he’s a good prospect that the Yankees seem to always have these guys that oddly enough don’t get enough prospect buzz somehow because they’re just kind of pedestrian looking starters and they come to the big leagues and they’re pretty good. Uh you’ve seen it with Michael King and Lil Warren and all these guys. So I would like him. And then uh you know the big name there though, the one that would raise eyebrows is Jason Dominguez, the Martian, right? Like he was a huge people were compared to Mickey Manel when he was 17. And he’s such a unique interesting player. He’s like Zion Williamson, the baseball player. He’s like 5’9 but like 240 lbs of pure muscle and he’s like a 70 runner. He’s also one of the worst outfield defenders I’ve ever seen. I don’t know why. I’ we saw him in in Eerie a few years back and it was like, oh my god, what is he doing? Like he he didn’t see the ball and he was diving and it was bad. but he is another young guy who’s who’s got some power and he’s got some tools. So, if you think you can clean it up a little bit, I know there’s some Yankees fans who believe the Yankees are really bad at teaching fundamentals. Uh so, maybe, you know, again, there’s a lot lot of like there. This one I would be a little bit more skeptical of. It’s it’s a pretty huge boomer bust trade. If Lraange uh becomes a starter and Dominguez, you figure them out, then it would be great. But there there’s a pretty high probability that those things happen. Mock trades are always fun, especially when they involve Teroo. Before we get out of here, are there any names we should be watching for in the rule five draft, which is Wednesday? I’m not anticipating the Tigers will select anyone, but are there any unprotected prospects from the Tigers organization that could be poached by one of the other 29 teams? Right-handed reliever R.J. Pettit, he has picked up popularity recently on social media as a rule five draft eligible player. For those who don’t know, he is 6’8, 300 lb. Someone on Twitter referenced his mustache as a squirrel on his upper lip. Somebody else said, “That’s Spencer Strider if he ate Spencer Strider.” Another person said, “His name is Pettit, lol.” Referring to Petite. And here’s the best part. RJ Pettit posted a 2.44 erra with 79 strikeouts across 66 and 1/3 innings in 47 games, spanning 27 games in DA Erie and 20 games in AAA Toledo. There is no doubt that this big fella is ready for his MLB debut in 2026 which makes him a likely candidate to be selected in the rule five draft. Are you watching RJ Pettit and are there other names that you’re keeping tabs on as well? Yeah, he’s the primary one. I would I would think there was some thought that he might be added but you know they did add five guys so they couldn’t add six. But uh yeah, I’ve seen him pitch for years now and uh to be honest I was never overly impressed with him now. Yeah, he absolutely does look like an offensive lineman. It’s it’s absurd. You want him like the first guy off the bus. That’s the guy you want to intimidate people. But for all his size and he does he’ll hit 98 99 even at times. He doesn’t like the fast ball doesn’t blow hitters away. It’s just got a got pedestrian shape and he doesn’t have elite extension for a guy that tall. It’s it’s actually less than his height. It’s like 6’6. But he does have I always like this change up which he didn’t throw a ton. And when he got to AAA, the Tiger started having him throw his slider like half the time and that worked really well. And it’s it’s not like a visually appealing sweeper type slider. It’s more like um like a bul brrisky slider where it just kind of spins and then drops. Uh and it was really effective for him. But as you pointed out, like the main thing here is he’s got time at AAA. He’s got a handful of pitches and he’s had success. And that makes you an ideal rule five draft candidate for somebody who just wants to add a piece to their bullpen. So I’m expecting him to get taken. If he doesn’t, I’d be slightly shocked. But then you never really know what teams are looking for, what kind of data they have. Beyond him, there’s not a whole lot of obvious candidates. I mean, Gage Workman was taken last year, but that didn’t really work out well. So, I mean, somebody might try it again. But, and with the interesting thing is if you get taken in the rule five graph twice, you don’t have to go back to your original team. You could just become a free agent. And but then, yeah, there’s some other players kind of like him. Pton Graham is a guy I mentioned, but he hasn’t been to DoubleA. Eric Silva is kind of like an under the radar pitcher that they got from San Francisco in the Mark Hannah trade, and he’s had a bunch of time in double A, not a bunch of time, but like two seasons. Uh, and he’s got a starters arsenal. So he would be like, you know, a deep cut there. Somebody was like, “Hey, we like him. We think we could get him to stick in in a middle relief role like Mason Enler style. But yeah, beyond that there there I don’t know. There are some interesting arms down there. Ricky Vanasco has been in the big leagues. There’s Troy Watson. There’s Tyler Owens. There’s Yosber Sanchez. I don’t expect any of those guys to get taken, but if one of them does, I’ll just go, okay, most of the time it doesn’t work out. It’s the rule five.” Yeah, I think Troy Watson is a candidate to be selected in the rule five draft, but only if a team is willing to pay the 1.2 2 million, which is what he earns if he’s in the big leagues in 2026, according to his minor league contract. The Tigers definitely use that minor league contract, agreeing to the deal before the 2025 season even ended as a way to keep other teams from taking Watson in the rule five draft. Just as a refresher, like if a player is selected in the rule five draft, and that player must stay on the active 26-man roster of the new team for the entire season, if the player is removed, then the player will be exposed to waiverss. And if the player clears waiverss, then the player will be offered back to the old team. He was good. I mean, he’s somebody who has talent. Like, the Tigers love him as starter depth with upside because his stuff is off the charts. But will another team think he’s worth paying 1.2 million in the big leagues? Nah, I don’t think so. No, I agree with you that that’s I think that was a a kind of a smart move on their part if they really like him that much. I’m still a bit skeptical about his fast ball, but uh I’m not a pitching coach, so we’ll see. All right, it’s time to get out of here. live from the winter meetings in Orlando. Thanks to Chris Brown from Tigers Monique Report for co-hosting with me this week. Thanks to everyone out there for listening to the latest episode of Days of Roar. Please like, rate, share, and subscribe. Drop us a rating and comment what you think about the show. And please stick with freep.com/sports for the latest Tigers coverage during the hot stove season. I’d like to thank the editor of the Free Press, Nicole Avery Nichols, and our magical producer, Robin Chan. For the Detroit Free Press, I’m Evan Pzled. We’ll catch you next week. Until then, go in. Peace. [Music]
The Winter Meetings are underway in Orlando, and the Detroit Tigers arrive with several storylines to follow. On “Days of Roar,” Evan Petzold and Chris Brown discuss the signing of right-hander Drew Anderson to a one-year contract. He will show up to spring training as a starter, but will he ultimately become a reliever? We break down what to watch with the Tigers at the Winter Meetings, including big updates on Alex Bregman’s free agency and Tarik Skubal’s trade situation. Other topics about the Tigers include the pursuit of another starter for the rotation and the remaining high-leverage relievers to upgrade the bullpen. Boston Red Sox radio voice Will Flemming joins the show to discuss Bregman’s market, his impact in Boston’s clubhouse in 2025 and whether a reunion with the Red Sox is the most likely outcome. He also endorses an all-in Skubal trade for the Red Sox, even though Skubal is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. To wrap up, Evan and Chris provide — and break down — mock trades for Skubal with the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. (https://twitter.com/EvanPetzold)
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5 comments
I was listening to ESPN radio and the commenter, in mentioning Kent, also asked, WHY NOT LOU WHITAKER???" So, maybe there's hope,
"Maybe guys get together, have some drinks, make a bad decision, and there you go."
MLB should make this their Winter Meetings tagline. 😂👍
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The Red Sox dude makes it sound like his team and Boston is god gift to players! Didn’t his dumb front office just get rid of Devers for Pennie’s on the dollar? Not exactly a Greta move from the so called amazing front office. Don’t get me wrong Detroit isn’t a dream area but these players don’t love here year round who cares. All cities have great Suburbs so does Detroit
Lets be honest. Keith isn't a 3rd baseman