Cubs reportedly interested in Alex Bregman in MLB free agency | Cubs 360 I Marquee Sports Network

Cubs are back looking at the third base position. So, we know that they’re looking at the pitching market, but now appears Alex Bregman is back in the picture. What’s wrong with Matt Shaw? I don’t know if anything’s wrong with Matt Shaw. Okay. Well, Alex Bregman was in the mix last year this time for the Cubs before he signed a three-year $120 million contract with opt outs with Boston. He opted out after the $40 million he made this year and he is right back in the sights of the Chicago Cubs, Boston, Detroit, same teams that were interested last year this time. Bring Bregman brings Elise an awful lot to the team other than just a veteran guy that has two world championships behind him. Uh he is considered one of the top people in a clubhouse. Yeah, he’s one of the guys Lance that also is considered a guy that is there first thing in the morning before anyone else and last one to leave. Yeah, the clubhouse vibes for him remind me a bit of Justin Turner and the impact he had on the team. So, I I love the potential of an addition. The way I think about this is a bit more mathematically though. No, surprise. I know. Surprise. Um, if we look at how much the Cubs are going to spend in free agency this offseason, right, we’re talking about the first luxury tax interval is the one that we think they’ll spend up to, which leaves them about, let’s say, $40 to $50 million this offseason to spend on a yearly basis just for this season. Bregman is going to eat up a lot of that, right? He’s projected to get anywhere from $30 to $35 million a year across, let’s say, three to five years, depending on who you’re talking to. The focus in hearing Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins, and everybody else has been pitching. So my idea goes to, okay, if there’s ever a season where the Cubs are going to spend into that first luxury tax amount, this is the year to do it because you have so much money coming off the books after 2026. You want to go out and get Michael King or Tatsuya Mai. You want to go Bregman alongside that. You’re going to push into that first luxury tax interval, but teams get hesitant when you compound that year over year and the tax penalty becomes larger. So, I know we’re talking about something the Cubs haven’t done, but if you want to get Bregman and you have to upgrade pitching, this is the season to push into that first luxury tax interval. Well, while while Lance reaches into Mr. Rickett’s pocket, I’m going to I’m going to I’m going to agree with him. Uh that here’s a team for the first time, the Cubs had a team that won 90 or more games in 2025 since 2018. Now, what you do with that is you step on the gas. You don’t let off. Okay? You already have a good mix of players in there. You have good pitching. You have to add to the rotation as Lance said. You also have to add to the bullpen. But here we’re looking at a proposed lineup with Bregman in there. And uh that is really just Moises as the DH, but everyone else is kind of as you would expect because Sei were having in right field there. Well, uh, and again, the the one thing you should concentrate on a little bit is we’ve heard left-handed hitting, left-handed hitting, left-handed hitting. We need more. We got Tucker last year. Now, they have their own homegrown guys to look at. They have Bisteros. They have uh Casey. So, more right-handed power, more stabilization at third base. Uh, the the only question mark is a very durable player, only played 114 games last year. He had an injury. So, uh, uh, even though the, uh, OPS was right up there in the 800s, there’s still some question as he’s moving from 32 to 33, is this the beginning of a downtrend for him gameswise, production-wise? These are the things you worry about a very favorable ballpark in Boston for him last year. Somewhere a place that he’s hit 400 or more his whole career. Yeah, I I think I think the mix that he provides of defense of OBP is somewhat makes him maybe impenetrable to the park effect difference, which I I totally admit would be a factor. He’s not going to end up landing as many doubles off the Green Monster. A lot of those balls are just going to die in left field with the wind at Wrigley. But again, the intangibles, the defense, the straight OB being above average. There’s a lot of elements there that provides a really high floor player for the Cubs and they need to replace some something in this lineup to make up for what Kyle Tucker did last year. I know he wasn’t great final couple months of the season, but his impact on the totality of the Cubs 2025 team is something that is going to be hard to replace. Bregman is a step towards doing that. I feel like the Cubs offense, especially when Tucker was out with injury. Like they still did well. I think we definitely saw the biggest impact. You’re What did you not like about the offense? They were I don’t agree. I think it was I think it was under four runs a game in the last few months of the season. And you think that was because Tucker was out? Tucker. A lot of it has to do with Tucker and then the crash and burn for PCA in the second half, which I think he’ll be better. I think he might still have up ups and downs player. They both crashed offensively. So, fortifying the offense, not counting on the 800 runs they scored this last year’s probably a good idea. So, what I’m hearing is because of the offense for Bregman, that is why you’re thinking Matt Shaw, you’re good. We’ll see what you got. But if you have someone like Bregman out there, you want him for that reason and obviously what he offers defensively. But I’m hearing really uh defensively I should say, but I’m really hearing offensively is why you want someone like Bragman. I want the whole package. So right as a as Lance pointed out, replacement for Turner as far as clubhouse, you know, ideas and, you know, being there for people, it’s been a winner everywhere he’s gone. Terrific individual. I mean, it’s it’s a whole package that you’re buying. That’s why the Cubs offered four years in 115 million last year. [Music]

Marquee Sports Network’s Elise Menaker, Bruce Levine and Lance Brozdowski react on “Cubs 360” to the latest report that the Chicago Cubs are interested in signing free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman.

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Cubs reportedly interested in Alex Bregman in MLB free agency | Cubs 360 I Marquee Sports Network

13 comments

  2. Nooo. I’d rather trade Howard and someone for Maikel Garcia. Versatile, can rotate platoon giving guys rest days and can start at 3rd if needed. He’s a smart player/ hitter.

  6. Bellinger, Bregman, Suarez, Pete Alonso are the 4 names I've heard Cubs are in on. If you plan to play Cassie, Johnathan Long, Alcantara, Ballestarios. It makes sense to have a Vet that can platoon w/them so I get it. Gotta protect the lineup w/power. Smart thing to do would be to let 2 sign, eat up $, See if you can't get Pete Alonso or Cody Bellinger cheap. Sp they are smartly pushing up the $ on the market, I think they want the Japanese kid which, 3B and Sp they are interested in the Japanese kids, but the SP may be the Cubs No.1 target. But they will let teams spend crazy $ and the market come back down. They still are gonna spend 200mil this off-season, just on multiple pieces not 1 player.

  7. Justin Turner should be the Bench Coach of the 2027 Cubs. But if we have to give him a Minor League deal and put him on IR lol, Do Not Let Him Leave Chicago!!! You Do Not Let Teachers of the game like him leave the locker room!!!! He should be offered 2mil to play or…2 mil to Coach lol. And I would offer him a 5yr deal as a 1B, 3B, Bench Coach. Enough $ and years he can move his family here and really be invested in developing young players. We Need him

  8. I can’t wait for the day they get rid of Happ. I’m tired of him on this team. He’s overrated, inconsistent and not a player to have as a piece to build around

  10. You trade Happ to the Dodgers to clear 20mil and get good prospects you don't trade Nico to clear 10mil and move Shaw who proved nothing yet to 2B. That is just dumb. Using Shaw as utility when he gets you Skubol. .dumb lol. If him and a Mo Ballestarios together get you that level of player, you still trade Happ and play Cassie/Alcantara in LF. You sign 3B tho and DH. Johnathan Long is your RH DH. Guy is amazing. So if you're trading Mo Ballestarios, signing a Bellinger or Pete Alonso would be smart. Bellinger can also play OF if needed where Johnathan Long is a 1B who can give Busch days off vs Lefry Starters and just… smash doubles all day. Big Bo Bichette I'm telling ya. Long can also play so 3B in a Suarez kind of way. I worry about Bregman's health tho. He's the guy you go with if he's gonna play. There's no Left hand 3B gonna show up to help Shaw sadly tho. I think Bregman Red Sox could pay too much, Suarez is a straight pull Peredes type 3B. A bit better, stronger. Seems he is gonna cost less. If so, run the market up on Bregman while having a deal with Suarez ready to go cause 2.5 huge hits out of 10 at 3B would be a huge upgrade. Yeah. I said it. Lol. It's y'all's money I'm just trying to add to how you already see it. Lol. What happened to Lugo? Japanese SP if you can, if not, I'm cool with the guys you're weeding the market down so you can get. Joe Ryan for instance.

  11. That would be my dream acquisition this offseason. Shaw would be the number one backup infielder and he'd play a lot giving guys a rest at third, short and second. He's not ready offensively to play full-time yet.

  13. He is not worth OVER 40M a year. He's not worth 40M period. You can spend 30M a year on Schwarber and teach Shaw a crucial trick. Do not take 0-0, 1-0 or 2-0 fastballs down the middle. You are NOT good enough to be behind 0-1 and 0-2 and 1-2. that's why Shaw hits. 220. He is always behind in the count and then does his big wind up kick and swings at a pitch over his head to strike out or one in the dirt for a strike out. Go get Codi who played like 152 games last year and hit 29 dingers. He can get 30M a year also but Bregman is not worth a 6 year deal at 42 M a year.

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