Chicago Cubs linked to free agent Alex Bregman by MLB insider

The Chicago Cubs walk into this offseason looking to improve upon a successful, but ultimately anticlimactic 2025 season. They’re doing so with an already drastically reduced payroll.

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So far, less than a week removed from the final game of the World Series, the Cubs have already declined options on Shota Imanaga and Justin Turner and are looking at the loss of several free agents, including the big fish, Kyle Tucker.

Spotrac is estimating Chicago’s payroll to be at $165 million right now, $79 million below the MLB 2026 luxury tax threshold of $244 million.

In theory, that should give the Cubs plenty of money with which to fill holes and fortify their ability to make a deep playoff run.

However, as is always the case when it comes to the frugal Cubs ownership, the question is whether they will actually spend according to their ability to spend.

Paying the price to bring in Alex Bregman

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MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, in a recent appearance on the Cubs Weekly Podcast, laid out his case for bringing on third baseman Alex Bregman– and actually asserts that the Cubs could be one of the favorites to sign him up.

“Bregman would give them arguably the best defense in the sport,” Heyman said. “They already have three Gold Glove winners; Bregman has won in the past. To me, that makes sense…

“Both Bregman and [Kyle] Schwarber would be half the price of Tucker — and probably would get a bigger, positive reaction from Cubs fans. I would say Schwarber and Bregman are probably more likely (to sign) than Tucker for the Cubs…

“I think they’re a really good team that needs a little extra offensive push. You need one. And I do think they are the favorite to sign one.”

A better bargain than Kyle Tucker?

Signing Bregman (or even Schwarber, for that matter) would be a huge boost for a Cubs team looking to replace what will be lost when Tucker moves on to a 10-year, $400+ million contract elsewhere this winter. Bregman, of course, offers a defensive up side as well.

Last season, after signing a wildly flexible three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, Bregman played his usual stellar third base while hitting .273 with 18 home runs after spending nearly two months on the IL with a right quad strain. Despite the 32-year-old being a welcomed and valued contributor to the Red Sox, he recently chose to exercise his first-year opt-out clause, presumably to pursue a longer free agent contract with more stability for his later years.

Would the Cubs be that team to provide Bregman the stability of a long-term contract? They were reportedly in the mix to sign him this past offseason, but failed to reach finalist status over teams willing to defer money and offer more contract years.

Matt Shaw and the budget-minded Chicago Cubs

And while the Cubs’ financial situation is different coming into this season, ownership’s spending philosophies remain the same. The Athletic’s Tim Britton estimates a Bregman contract at six-years, $171 million. It’s still significantly cheaper than a Tucker contract, but still outside the Cubs’ financial comfort zone, especially with a possible lockout in the works for 2027.

The Cubs organization will be tempted to stick with Matt Shaw at third, who was surprisingly good defensively and showed offensive improvement in the second half of the season. Shaw is not only 23, with several years of team control ahead of him, but he’s also making league-minimum money.

But Shaw could serve several purposes in a world where the Cubs do pay the money to pick up Bregman. He could be packaged out in a trade to acquire a young, high-end starting pitcher with years of team control. He could also be switched out to second base– his original position in the minors– as a replacement for Nico Hoerner, who is due to become a free agent after next season.

For the time being, Bregman-to-the-Cubs is little more than fan fiction. But the logic is there and so is the money. A Cubs team serious about a championship should at least explore the idea.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-alex-bregman-free-agent-2