By signing Alex Bregman, the Cubs prove they're not content with simply repeating 2025
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong captured the moment in seven words.
“Bears and BREGMAN,” he posted to his Instagram story Sunday night, “what is my life?!”
At Soldier Field, Crow-Armstrong had just witnessed the Bears’ stunning comeback against the Packers to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. To make the night even sweeter, he saw the breaking news that the Cubs had agreed to terms with veteran third baseman Alex Bregman on a five-year deal.
Crow-Armstrong was closer to the action than most, but his reaction was relatable for Chicagoans whose fandom covered both teams. What a night.
Bregman’s five-year, $175 million deal wasn’t just the Cubs’ biggest of the offseason by far. The contract’s average annual value of $35 million (not factoring in deferrals) clocks in as the largest in club history.
Its total value is also one of the largest in team history, behind free-agent contracts for Jason Heyward ($184 million, eight years) and Dansby Swanson ($177 million, seven years). Coming off the Cubs’ first playoff berth in five years and after conservative spending all offseason, it was time to make an aggressive move.
First, the Cubs improved their rotation by trading for right-hander Edward Cabrera, giving up a prospect package that included outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 1 in the Cubs’ system). Three days later, they lifted their offense by committing a chunk of change to a three-time All-Star.
The Cubs have a lot of money coming off their books after this season, giving them the flexibility for a long-term deal. Bregman, 31, joins Swanson as the only Cubs position players on multiyear contracts that are guaranteed past 2026. Bregman adds the stability of another veteran whose long-term future is tied to the team. His contract includes a full no-trade clause, a source confirmed Saturday night.
Over the last eight years, Bregman has the eighth-highest WAR among position players (37.1), as calculated by FanGraphs. He won a Gold Glove at third base two years ago and came in second in 2019 American League MVP voting.
After the Cubs’ impact moves in recent days, and factoring in the return to health of left-hander Justin Steele — who’s expected to be activated early in the season — and Cade Horton, the roster looks stronger than the group that won 92 games last year.
“It is hard to win 92 games in a season; that is a good season,” manager Craig Counsell said at the winter meetings last month. “The playoffs are a completely different animal. It’s short series, it’s things have got to go right, it’s players have got to do special things, got to catch some breaks, we’ve got to be healthy at the right times. And enough of those things didn’t go right where we couldn’t advance further, unfortunately.”
Because the Brewers posted the best regular-season record in MLB last year, 92 wins also only secured second place in the division and the top National League wild-card spot. Then the Cubs lost a nail-biting five-game Division Series with the Brewers.
“You watch the World Series, you watch every pitch of that, and that’s the goal, is you just want to keep building on what happened this year,” Hoyer said in November.
His moves this past week have been a good start.