Bregman thought he'd sign with Tigers before Red Sox swooped in

Alex Bregman admitted he was gearing up to join the Detroit Tigers until the Boston Red Sox swooped in with a late contract offer.

"We thought we were going to be in Detroit the entire time, honestly. And then, at the last second, Boston kind of came in," Bregman said on "Foul Territory."

The Tigers were connected to Bregman throughout the offseason before he ultimately inked a three-year, $120-million contract with the Red Sox in February.

Detroit reportedly offered Bregman a six-year deal worth more than $170 million.

"It was kind of crazy," Bregman said of the free-agent process. "Met with a lot of teams, and then, honestly, everything happened in the last 30 minutes. It was kind of rapid fire. ... We talked to Boston and the deal got done."

Bregman has seen the majority of his reps at third base this spring. Last year's starter, Rafael Devers, has yet to make an appearance at third after a shoulder injury hampered him last season.

Manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Devers is unlikely to make an appearance at third base before Opening Day, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.