Chicago Cubs: Alex Bregman goes public with big expectations for PCA in 2026

The Chicago Cubs have their team set for the coming season– a season where they are not only expected to win the NL Central Division, but also expected to make a deep playoff run.

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Barring some unforeseen injury or spectacular last-minute free agent signing (Zac Gallen), this is the team going to battle in 2026.

And the Cubs are especially happy with the major piece added to their squad this offseason– Alex Bregman.

The three-time All-Star third baseman was signed to an uncharacteristically bold (for the Cubs) 5-year, $175 million deal and positioned as a cornerstone of a Cubs team aimed at cinching in a culture of winning.

What Alex Bregman brings to the Cubs

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Aside from a plus-bat and Gold Glove-level defense, the 31-year-old Bregman brings a ton of intangibles revolving around his well-deserved reputation as a likable, approachable clubhouse leader. In a lot of ways, he brings to the Cubs what the colder and more reserved right fielder Kyle Tucker could not last season.

While Tucker’s bat is a tick above Bregman’s, Chicago needs more of what Bregman brings to the table, especially with so many veterans (Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga) potentially heading off into free agency at the end of the 2026 season. That’s why it’s hard to find anyone lamenting the Bregman-for-Tucker free agent swap.

But Bregman’s influence could prove to be especially important when it comes to one specific piece of the Cubs’ future plans.

Bregman and PCA

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong plays the game like a man running through a burning building. All fire, explosion, and adrenaline, “PCA” is beyond entertaining to watch.

His all-out style, though, makes him a volatile, unpredictable offensive asset. Over the course of his short MLB career, it always seems to be feast or famine with the young mega-talent. Last season, for example, he had a first-half that screamed MVP (25 HR, 71 RBI, 27 SB, .265 BA) and a second half that had people wondering what happened (6 HR, 24 RBI, 8 SB, .216 BA).

The soon-to-be 24-year-old needs stability and some boring, ol’ predictability added to his game. He also needs a heaping helping of plate discipline. In other words, he needs someone like Alex Bregman in his life.

“I can tell you’re going to chase less,” Bregman recently told Crow-Armstrong, after looking over the young star’s mechanics and re-calibrated mindset.

“He’s so good already,” Bregman later told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “And he has so much potential. I think he’s going to have the best year of his career this year, for sure.”

PCA, much to his credit, has never shied away from taking advice and guidance from veteran teammates. Just days after it was announced that the Cubs had signed Bregman, he was already talking about his eagerness to pick the brain of the two-time World Series champ.

PCA as an eager student

Now, side by side with Bregman in spring training, he’s already speaking glowingly of the veteran’s influence.

“He’s excited to see my OBP go up and my swing rate go down,” Crow-Armstrong told media on Wednesday. “It’s everything that everybody else probably wants to see. But the way he talks about it is really cool…It’s a nerdy approach to hitting, but it’s never overcomplicated.”

“I can already kind of see it’s going to be really easy to apply my conviction and competitiveness into a real thought-out approach,” he added. “The guy has had .400 OBP years. He is probably someone you should listen to in terms of that. I just appreciate it when he can come in, and he’s not just picking apart my swing.”

While noting that the two don’t really have a similar playing style, PCA is still aware of how much of a learning opportunity is present when Bregman’s around.

“He just wants to see a little less from me, I think,” Crow-Armstrong said, referring to tighter mechanics and a more discerning eye when it comes to balls he swings at.

This Bregman-PCA pairing is a bromance that needs to be encouraged by the Cubs. No matter what Bregman does at the plate or on the field, he’ll be earning his money just by making those around him– especially Crow-Armstrong– better.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-alex-bregman-pete-crow-armstrong-pca-spring-training