Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman spent the 2016-2024 seasons with the Houston Astros before signing a three-year, $120 million deal in the offseason. It appeared as if Bregman was going to sign with the Detroit Tigers in the offseason and reunite with manager A.J. Hinch, but he signed with Boston at the last second instead.
Hinch was the Astros’ manager from 2015 to 2019. They were together when they won the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and lost to the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series. Despite Bregman not reuniting with Hinch, he talked about what his former manager to him during his MLB career.
Alex Bregman Talks About What Detroit Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch Has Meant To Him During His Career
On Monday, the Red Sox were at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, facing the Tigers. Bregman stepped into the batter’s box during the game, and he was booed by the Detroit fan base. Bregman was offered a six-year, $171.5 million deal by the Tigers in the offseason.
Before the game on Monday, Bregman said about not signing with Detroit during the offseason, “Obviously, I was really close [to signing]. 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.”
Despite not signing with Detroit, Bregman praised his former manager for the job he did with him during the beginning of his MLB career with the Astros. The Red Sox third baseman said about Hinch, “I think first and foremost, he taught me to play hard, play smart, know what you’re good at, and lean into that. maximize what you’re good at, stay even-keeled throughout the course of the year, and to compete your tail off.”
Well, Hinch has led Detroit to the best record in the American League so far this season with a 27-15 record. This is not a surprise because the Astros won several American League West division titles with Bregman and Hinch together. Bregman has become one of the best third basemen in the league.
Bregman has played in 42 games so far this season with Boston. He has a .309 batting average with nine home runs and 31 RBIs, along with one stolen base and one caught stolen base attempt. His on-base percentage is .388. He has been very productive with Boston this season, and they have a 22-21 record.
The Tigers are already World Series contenders so far in the 2025 MLB season. Imagine if Bregman had signed with Detroit instead of Boston to reunite with Hinch. It would have been special for the Tigers had that been the case. Even though they are both on opposite teams, Hinch will always have a lasting effect on Bregman’s baseball career.