Bleacher Report floats brutal Alex Bregman destination that would set Astros fans off

For the Houston Astros and their fans, the 2024 season is now over far too soon. Many are still trying to wrap their heads around how Houston could get bounced from the playoffs by a Tigers team that wasn't even a playoff team a month ago. For others, the end of the Astros' season means it is offseason speculation time, and those conversations almost universally begin with what the future holds for Alex Bregman.

Obviously figuring out where Bregman will end up is a loaded topic. According to some, including Jose Altuve, the Astros simply have to bring Bregman back, no matter the cost, given what he has meant to the franchise for so many years. For others more calculating analysts, Bregman isn't going to be worth what he will command, especially for an Astros organization that isn't shelling out huge contracts on the regular. To them, Bregman's departure is inevitable.

A lot of folks have been putting their takes out there on Bregman's free agency kately, including Bleacher Report's Joe Tansey. Tansey predicted that Bregman would end up back with the Astros (rejoice!), but he also floated Detroit, the very team that just ended Houston's season, as a potential landing spot.

Bleacher Report floats Tigers as potential Alex Bregman landing spot

As painful as it would be, the Tigers honestly make a decent amount of sense for Bregman. One of Detroit's top prospects, Jace Jung, playing third complicates this argument, but the Tigers have leaned on a rather uninspiring duo of Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry at third base lately, and Bregman would be a massive upgrade over that duo.

In addition, the Tigers SHOULD have some motivation to make a splash this coming offseason after a surprise playoff run, and Bregman certainly qualifies. Getting their ownership on board with that is far from a given, but it is probably fair to guess that Christopher Illitch at least understands that keeping Tigers fans excited in 2025 is likely to help his bottom line. Add in the AJ Hinch connection, and this is a natural fit.

That said ... boy, would it suck to see Bregman land on the team that just eliminated the 'Stros from the playoffs. Would it be as brutal as seeing Bregman in a Yankees uniform? Absolutely not, but the pain of that sequence of events would definitely go down as an all-timer in Astros lore nonetheless.

More Astros News from Climbing Tal's Hill