It’s been strange to see Alex Bregman sit on the open market for so long, and while that seemingly has played into the favor of the Detroit Tigers since they were never going to offer him the high-priced contract he was seeking, things are now starting to heat up for the star.

Originally, he appeared destined to leave the Houston Astros when the two sides were far apart in contract negotiations and that front office decided to bring in some other players to address their roster needs.

But, as the offseason continues to roll on and he remains unsigned, momentum has started to pick up for him to return to that franchise.

Where do the Tigers stand when it comes to Bregman?

That’s the question this fan base is trying to figure out.

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY said Detroit made him an offer, but the insider reported that neither they, the Boston Red Sox nor the Toronto Blue Jays went to the $200 million range he wants. The insider also reports two of the three extended a five-year deal, but he didn’t reveal which teams put that offer on the table.

The Tigers, Blue Jays and Red Sox have been the trio most prominently linked to Bregman throughout the winter, but others have been hanging around in the periphery like the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.

After it appeared like the Cubs were no longer interested when it was revealed the two-time World Series champion wouldn’t take a short-term contract, some subsequent reports suggested they were still considering bringing him in.

However, it appears like the high-spending Mets are now out of the sweepstakes.

According to Ari Alexander of KPRC 2, New York is now no longer involved in negotiations for Bregman, something that further opens up the path for Detroit to land their dream target.

Billionaire owner Steve Cohen is a wild card, but after he handed out the record-setting contract to Juan Soto this offseason, it seems like even he is putting a limit on his own spending with them considering moving on from their star slugger Pete Alonso.

That’s good for the Tigers.

While the trio of Detroit, Boston and Toronto seemed to be in lockstep about what they were willing to give Bregman, the Mets could have completely blown that away if Cohen decided to hand out another expensive check.

This is something the Tigers have to take advantage of if they truly want to sign Bregman.

If the finances are equal, then there’s a good chance he’ll return to the Astros, the team that selected him second overall and is the only organization he’s ever known.

Detroit has been measured this winter so far, but to truly transform the state of this franchise, it’s time for them to add someone who would immediately become their best offensive player.

Earlier this week, Baseball America released its new Top 100 prospect list for 2025, and five Detroit Tigers players made the list.

That’s an impressive haul that few teams could match. But, after the release of the Top 100, the site also released a list of every player from every team that received at least one vote for the Top 100.

The Tigers had an eye-popping 11 players receive at least one vote.

The five players that received enough votes to make the Top 100 where pitcher Jackson Jobe (No. 3), outfielder Max Clark (No. 22), infielder Kevin McGonigle (No. 23), shortstop Bryce Rainer (No. 60) and catcher Thayron Liranzo (No. 69).

Who are the other six prospects? They included catcher Dillon Dingler, shortstop Franyerbrer Montilla, infielder Jace Jung, right-handed pitcher Jaden Hamm, catcher Josue Briceño and shortstop Trey Sweeney.

Three of those prospects are already in the Majors and figure to make the opening-day roster. Dingler reached the Majors in July and served as a backup catcher last season. He slashed .167/.195/.310/.505 with one home run and 11 RBI.

Sweeney was part of what the Tigers received in the Jack Flaherty trade, with Liranzo being the rest of the haul. He made his MLB debut in August and became the starting shortstop, where he slashed .218/.269/.373/.642 with four home runs and 17 RBI.

Jung was also called up by the Tigers in August to take over at third base. The 2022 first-round pick slashed .241/.362/.304/.665 in 34 games with the Tigers.

Hamm has quickly become a respected member of the prospect pipeline after he was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Middle Tennessee. Last season at High-A West Michigan he went 5-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 24 games, as he struck out 122 and walked 31 in 99 innings.

Briceño is a Venezuela native who is just 20 years old but already has three years of pro baseball under his belt. Injuries limited him to just 40 games at Class-A Lakeland, but he slashed .278/.381/.377/.758 with two home runs and 22 RBI. He also played in the Arizona Fall League.

Montilla, also from Venezuela, is just 19 years old and is coming off a 2024 season that ended at Lakeland in which he slashed .226/.374/.362/.736 with six home runs and 30 RBI.

Many of these prospects will be at spring training later this month.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Lakeland, Fla., on Feb. 12. The rest of the roster will report on Feb. 17. Detroit will open its spring training schedule with a home game against Philadelphia on Feb. 22 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.