Former GM Calls Cubs ‘Team To Beat’ After Poaching Alex Bregman From Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox’s loss could be a major boon for the Chicago Cubs.

Alex Bregman is reportedly going to the Cubs, who signed the third baseman to a five-year, $175 million contract. Boston reportedly offered the three-time All-Star a five-year, $165 million deal to stay.

As the Red Sox regroup to address their lineup without Bregman, the Cubs have added a major piece to their 2026 puzzle. A former MLB general manager believes Bregman can help them take another step forward.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden touted Bregman’s leadership impact during an MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM appearance Sunday morning. The 31-year-old joins the one player drafted ahead of him in 2015, Dansby Swanson, as another valuable veteran steward.

“When you put Bregman and Swanson leading your clubhouse, those intangibles are … it’s special,” Bowden said. “Because it’s gonna help all the other guys develop around them.”

The Cubs made the playoffs as a wild-card team after winning 92 games in 2025. Bowden considers them favorites to dethrone the Milwaukee Brewers and capture their first division title since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Bregman wasn’t Chicago’s first notable offseason addition. The Cubs also acquired starting pitcher Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins and signed relief pitchers Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey.

“Now they have an elite defensive team. Starting pitching is better. Bullpen has been rebuilt,” Bowden said. “I think they’re the team to beat. I think the Cubs are the team to beat right now in the NL Central.”