Well, things have certainly escalated quickly. A few weeks ago I was 100% convinced the Cubs were being used as leverage for other teams to increase their offers for top remaining free agent Alex Bregman. Now? Call me a sucker, but it seems like there's a real chance that the Cubs do end up signing the free agent third baseman and according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Cubs might be the team that has the best shot at actually signing Bregman.
On Thursday, Heyman said that he no longer believes the Houston Astros are the favorites to sign Bregman, leaving the Cubs with the best shot at it as things currently stand.
Jon Heyman believes at this moment the Cubs have the best shot at landing Alex Bregman.
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) February 5, 2025
(📸: @JonHeyman via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/mJvo8NEG1h
Meanwhile, 670 The Score's Matt Spiegel speculated about Bregman's market and also alluded to league chatter that points to the Cubs being the favorites to sign Bregman.
Spiegs: “Alex Bregman doesn’t really have a lot of places to go … I think the Cubs have a real good shot here at Bregman.”
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) February 5, 2025
Listen to full segment: https://t.co/T9PmNHOHzR pic.twitter.com/fRdtvpo9JE
So, a quick catch up on the recent Bregman news and rumors.
- Astros GM Dana Brown says team has stopped talking to Bregman/Scott Boras. Any Bregman talks recently have been internal.
- Bregman is supposedly not interested in signing with the Tigers or Blue Jays.
- Red Sox reportedly not willing to offer more than four years to Bregman.
- Red Sox and Cardinals restart trade talks surrounding Nolan Arenado.
- Cubs reportedly have "creative" four-year offer on the table for Bregman.
Earlier in the offseason Bregman reportedly rejected a six-year, $156 million offer to re-sign with the Astros. The third baseman earned $30.5 million in 2024, the final year of his five-year, $100 million extension with Houston. Bregman was hoping for a $200 million contract this offseason, but obviously he hasn't found a suitor to reach that figure.
Recent speculation has pointed to Bregman only settling for a shorter deal if the AAV was at or above the $30 million that he made last season. According to the rumored four-year offer from the Cubs, the AAV on that proposed deal is said to be in that $30 million range.
Maybe this is one last ploy from Scott Boras, but it seems like Bregman is running out of options and that may just end up leading to a deal with the Cubs. We'll see.
(Previous Update)
Sooooo, Alex Bregman is still a free agent and while I remain skeptical that the Cubs are serious contenders to sign him MLB insiders continue to insist that they are.
There wasn't necessarily new information on Wednesday, but both national and local baseball reporters indicated that the Cubs are lurking and waiting to see if Bregman changes his mind on agreeing to a short-term contract. First, from 670 The Score and Marquee Sports Network reporter Bruce Levine.
Via Audacy.
The highest-profile name on the Cubs’ radar remains free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. The Cubs are hanging around in the Bregman derby, looming as a possible landing spot if he shifts his focus to a shorter-term deal.
A deal similar to the one that outfielder Cody Bellinger signed with Chicago ahead of the 2024 season would be the blueprint for a potential union between Bregman and the Cubs.
Again, more of what we've seen reported in the past couple weeks. The Cubs have interest in Bregman, but only if the third baseman settles for a short deal with opt-outs included. Levine had already brought up the Cody Bellinger comparison in his earlier reporting.
The only interesting bit of speculation from Wednesday comes from Jon Heyman, who yes is seen as a mouthpiece for Bregman's agent Scott Boras, but Heyman is not backing down from saying that the Cubs are indeed a threat to get the top free agent available.
Heyman was asked who he'd consider the favorites to sign Bregman and his best guess is that either Bregman returns to the Astros and if not them, the Cubs seem like the other fit.
"There is an allure to the Cubs. We just saw his great friend Ryan Pressly leave the Astros to go to the Cubs. There are two Astros now on the Cubs. I mean, the Cubs are an interesting team, they're a fun team. They got Tucker in right field. You've got Pressly as the closer. That may be an extra allure for Bregman. I know he and Pressly were close. Maybe the Cubs could come in there. So, I'm going to say one of those two teams."
What's the latest on Alex Bregman? 👀
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) January 29, 2025
(w/ @JonHeyman) pic.twitter.com/qLLGBXLh93
The Astros reportedly have a six-year, $156 million offer still on the table for Bregman, who rejected the deal back in December. Bregman is said to be looking for an annual salary of at least $30 million and to this point has been resistant to sign a short-term contract.
The Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers have also show interest in signing Bregman, but seeing as though we're now only a few days from the start of February, it's safe to say that no team has come close to meeting Bregman's contract demands.
Seeing as the Astros have re-emerged in the Bregman pursuit, the involvement of the Cubs could of course be manipulated to get some extra cash from Houston as we've previously discussed.
Alex Bregman's final 475 plate appearances in 2024:
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) January 15, 2025
.279/.331/.515, 139 wRC+, 25 HR
Maybe a Scott Boras leverage play, but the Cubs have come a-calling. https://t.co/LgwuM5RHk1
But hey, as each day passes that Bregman doesn't sign, the chances improve that Bregman eventually caves and does begin to think about joining the Cubs. We'll see how much longer he and Boras wait out the market.
