The Detroit TigersCinderella’s run to the ALDS has spirits high in the Motor City. This Tigers team is built to keep winning, led by the top ace in the American League and anchored by a lineup full of unselfish platoon options—not to mention a manager in AJ Hinch who isn’t afraid to get creative.

It is difficult (and incredibly impressive) to build a winner in the form of the Tigers, essentially without star power. Everyone in that lineup is flexible and egoless, willing to accept bits and pieces of a much larger whole. Hinch knows how to push all the right buttons, play matchups as well as any manager in MLB.

And yet, with their first postseason appearance in a decade now in the rearview mirror, people wonder if Detroit can start operating with the standard of aggression of most bona fide contenders. The upcoming free agent class is loaded with quality bats that would play well in the middle of Detroit’s lineup, but none stand out more than two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman.

The former Houston Astros third baseman obviously has a strong connection to Hinch, who managed the Astros during Bregman’s first World Series victory. There was, um, controversy surrounding that team, but Bregman and Hinch are joined at the hip — for better or worse — in the annals of MLB history. A palate-cleansing reunion in Detroit makes sense. Bregman has all the leadership qualities the Gritty Tigs could want.

And yet, according to Jim Bowden of The AthleticTigers fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.

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Bregman is believed to want a return to the Astros above all else, but the teams that “make the most sense,” should he leave, are Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Philliesaccording to Bowden.

“I think Bregman wants to return to the Astros if they step up and match his free agent market value,” he writes. “If he were to leave Houston, the two places that make the most sense to me are Boston and Philadelphia because of the dimensions of their home fields. I don’t like Bregman’s fit with the Tigers because of the large confines of Comerica Park, but I would really like him fit into their clubhouse because he’s won two World Series with strong makeup.”

The Phillies and Red Sox tend to work with more financial ambition than Detroit as well, which stands out in this free competition. That said, Bowden doesn’t completely kill the Tigers’ dream. Bregman would be a great fit in the locker room — the kind of established winner and veteran leader this young, plucky group needs. Even if his offensive numbers suffer slightly at Comerica Park, there’s a good chance Bregman makes up for it with his value in the clubhouse.

Bregman has a career batting average .227 on the road in Detroit, with four home runs and 16 RBI in 21 games. He went 3-for-13 over three appearances at Comerica Park last season, with a double and two singles. Houston obviously hosted Detroit in their Wild Card round.

We’d all love to see Bregman in a Tigers uniform — what a great story that would be for a long-suffering fan base — but odds are he ends up with a more established contender in a more prominent media market. Such is life.