The Detroit Tigers captured the imaginations of underdog fans everywhere with their stunning run to — and in — the 2024 American League playoffs.

Before falling to the Cleveland Guardians in the Division Series, the Tigers shocked the defending AL champion Houston Astros in the Wild Card round. Now, the Tigers are predicted to one-up the Astros once again in the free-agent market.

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports predicts that Detroit will pry third baseman Alex Bregman away from Houston this winter as the team looks to greatly enhance its offense for another run in 2025.

Detroit doesn't exactly need a third baseman as top prospect Jace Jung is likely to get first crack at making the position his after his 2024 big-league debut.

However, Bregman's agent, Scott Boras, added a massive wrinkle last week by announcing that his client is open to switching positions to possibly facilitate a free-agent move.

According to a report by USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Bregman is "amenable" to playing second base.

Of course, Detroit has another young player in Colt Keith, who was mighty impressive in his rookie season at second base. Yet, Keith previously played third base in the minors.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch proved to be something of a mad scientist when it came to using his pitchers last season; it is likely that Detroit could figure out a way to fit Bregman — who played for Hinch in Houston — into his infield to get the right-handed hitting veteran presence into the lineup.

Of course, the one financial anchor that could prevent the Tigers from shelling out what others are willing to for the Astros' slugger. Spotrac's calculated market value for Bregman points to a four-year contract of nearly $120 million, Boras' representation hints that any deal that the nine-year Major League Baseball veteran inks could be higher than that.

Baez is persona non grata in Motown these days. The 11-year MLB vet's tenure in Detroit has been nothing short of a disaster, with him logging a batting average of just .221 over 360 games.

The Tigers' late-season surge to the playoffs coincided with Baez getting injured and going out for the season on Aug. 23. He has no place on the team's roster but is only halfway through a six-year, $140 million contract signed before the 2022 season.

Yet, with the majority of Detroit's roster yet to see a big payday — staff ace Tarik Skubal is not eligible for free agency until 2027 — the Tigers organization likely still has funds available for a run at Bregman despite the overpay to Baez.