Cubs could be in for rude awakening if one glaring problem doesn’t change

The Chicago Cubs have been playing some spectacular baseball over the first month-plus of the 2026 MLB campaign, as they sit at 22-12 and in first place in the NL Central heading into their four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds that begins Monday.

Everything seems to be clicking for the Cubs right now, this in spite of the fact that their pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries.

But while the health situation of Chicago’s arms has been a rather hot topic of discussion, what seems to be getting lost in the fog of the Cubs’ start has been the relatively non-existent bat of third baseman Alex Bregman.

Chicago signed Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract during the offseason, hoping he would anchor a lineup that was, at the time, in the process of losing Kyle Tucker. Instead, Bregman has actually been a weak link.

Through the team’s first 34 games, Bregman is slashing .243/.333/.353 with three home runs and 12 RBI over 156 plate appearances. Yes, the 18 walks are nice, but the Cubs aren’t paying Bregman $35 million annually — with a full no-trade clause, to boot — just to walk.

Should the Chicago Cubs be concerned about Alex Bregman?

When Chicago first inked Bregman, a whole lot of people called it an overpay. Considering that the three-time All-Star has been in rather significant decline since his ridiculous 41-homer season with the Houston Astros back in 2019, the concern was understandable.

Even last year, Bregman was good, but not great, slashing .273/.360/.462 with 18 long balls and 62 RBI across 495 trips to the dish with the Boston Red Sox.

But it’s important to remember that in 2024, his final year in Houston, Bregman managed a .768 OPS thanks to a brutal start. He did perform much better during the second half of the campaign, but he dug himself quite a hole over the first several months.

Is that what Bregman is doing here?

The former first-round pick is now 32 years old, so it’s fair to wonder if he is on a downturn. And if his 2026 struggles continue, do the Cubs have enough juice to compensate for it?

Ian Happ has been off to a torrid start, and guys like Carson Kelly and Moises Ballesteros have been tearing the cover off the ball. Is any of that sustainable, though?

Especially when you consider how much Pete Crow-Armstrong has labored thus far, any dip in production from any of Chicago’s top producers could make Bregman’s rough start much more worrisome. And if that does happen, the Cubs could be in for a rude awakening.

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