Bregman: Signing with Sox 'was not a diss of Detroit'

DETROIT -- After an offseason of anticipation and intrigue, Alex Bregman finally stepped to the plate at Comerica Park … in a Red Sox uniform.

The end-of-the-offseason plot twist to free agency has not been forgotten in Detroit, though the Tigers have been just fine so far this season without the All-Star third baseman.

“Obviously, I was really close [to signing],” Bregman said Monday afternoon, echoing remarks he made in Spring Training. “But I made my decision to come here [to the Red Sox], been super happy to be here, really enjoyed my time being with my teammates. Obviously, they have an incredible ballclub over there, first place in the American League, playing exceptionally well, can really pitch, can really hit, play good defense. We’ve definitely got our hands full this series.”

Bregman was booed heartily by Tigers faithful during his first at-bat, a sentiment that quickly turned to cheers when he lined out to center field.

The Tigers and Bregman were linked from the Winter Meetings in early December all the way to the start of Spring Training. Detroit made the largest contract offer at six years, $171.5 million, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, but Bregman opted for a larger average annual value with Boston’s three-year, $120 million contract, including opt-outs after the first and second years.

The Tigers’ recruitment, Bregman said, was appealing.

“I just think they have a good ballclub,” he said. “Obviously, I wanted to play somewhere I had an opportunity to win, and I felt like those are the teams that I talked to during free agency, the teams that I felt like had the ability to win this year but also for a long time, just like I feel like we do here. I think they have a really good club, obviously an incredible manager I’ve known for a long time, similar to knowing [Boston manager Alex Cora] for a long time here. I know the level of talent that they have in the room. I knew the level of talent that we have here. We talked to Chicago [Cubs] as well; they had a great amount of talent. And, yeah.”

The first manager he mentioned, of course, was A.J. Hinch, his manager in Houston for the first four seasons of his career.

“I think first and foremost, he taught me to play hard, play smart, know what you’re good at and lean into that,” Bregman said, “maximize what you’re good at, stay even-keeled throughout the course of the year and to compete your tail off.”

From the moment Bregman agreed to join Boston, the reaction from Tigers fans had been anticipated when the Red Sox came to town. Bregman admitted he was “kind of” surprised to find a group of Detroit media waiting for him in the visiting clubhouse Monday, but the crowd reaction would be nothing new.

“Probably similar to the one that I’ve gotten here over the last six years,” Bregman said. “It is what it is. It’s part of it. To be honest, I’m just super happy to be able to be playing the game of baseball at this level, and playing against a great team.”

Hinch said he’d understand the fan reaction.

“I get it. There’s an emotional attachment to public conversations or public pursuits,” he said. “It is what it is. I don’t know if there’s been an opposing ballpark that Alex Bregman hasn’t gotten booed in. It won’t bother him, but our fans will support the Tigers, as they should.”

There was a level of diplomacy evident from Bregman, notably when asked if the boos would be understandable for a perceived diss of Detroit.

“It was not a diss of Detroit,” Bregman said of his decision. “I made a decision to come play for the Boston Red Sox, and I’m super excited to be here playing for this ballclub.”

Asked if Detroit could still be an option for him in the future with the opt-outs in his contract, Bregman used a couple of familiar phrases from his old manager.

“I’m focused on where my feet are right now,” Bregman said, “and trying to compete and focus on winning games this season and winning the game today.”