Chicago Cubs should sign BOTH Alex Bregman and Tatsuya Imai

Matt and Sam make the case for the Cubs signing both Alex Bregman and Tatsuya Imai to bolster their lineup and rotation. Plus: Why 2026 matters, the possibility of exceeding the luxury tax in 2026, the final payroll numbers for 2025, and more.

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45 comments

  1. Tom Ricketts has made it clear for a long time… he doesn't care about the Cubs, the team itself or its fans. He cares about real estate. They never, ever, had any intention of keeping the core. All lies.

  2. Sam: you really need to apologize to the fans if Cubs go over luxury tax this year by giving fans so much negative vibe when your team just gave us 2 exciting playoff series !

  5. Merry Christmas
    If Matt Shaw hits a little better, he’s the clear choice for 3B. He has 9 Defensive Runs saved at 3B, 2nd best in the game. He had 13 dingers. He was a gold glove finalist. He will make 820,000 next season. Bregman hit 18 dingers last year and has averaged 18 dingers over the past six seasons. He did have a gold glove in 2024. Is Bregman worth 30 Million a year? He just walked away from 40M per year. Get Tatsuya Imai and Cody Bellinger. We can’t get Fairbanks as he just signed with the Marlins. Still need a closer. Nico will be in the lineup at 2b in 2027. Unless? Bichette comes to town. Ricketts will have some buy one and get one free coupons at Burger King for him.
    Busch – 1B

    Hoerner – 2b

    Bellinger – RF

    Suzuki – DH

    PCA – CF

    Happ – LF

    Swanson – SS

    Kelly – C

    Shaw – 3B

  7. I want to give Cubs positive vibe, after they tried their best last season to have us 92 wins, 2 great playoff series, only lost to the best record team in their home!
    The front office, coaching staff, players did a great job to give us so much positives going forward !
    Their plans were all good: build depth- you see we still win 92 without best starter! Bullpen went toe to toe with the 2 best bullpen units in MLB (Padres & Brewers), we hit HR in post season! We saw young players improve and we saw a complete team with great offense and defense! We rank top 5 in most offensive categories even with the regressing of Tucker and PCA in 2nd half!
    This team does not need much to hang with the best teams!
    They will spend 75-80m at least in the free agency to continue improve the roster and also with the young core development as priority !
    I am very excited about the Cubs next season looking at all the positives AND I am not going to take that for granted and unrealistically asking them to build a roster that on paper can beat or close to the Dodgers! But anything can happen in sports and you just have to be good enough to be there to take advantage of anything going your way AT THIS STAGE OF THEIR TEAM!!
    Merry Christmas to all and enjoy Cubs new season!
    Go Cubs … really in heart and mind go Cubs!!

  8. Cubs are clear favorites if they get Gallen & Bregman… Dont forget Brewers outperformed last year by alot. Gallen Bregman makes Cubs a 90+ win projected team while Brewers are currently at 86 with Peralta. That's significant

  10. There is 160-175HR's in that Starting lineup alone with Bregman.

    Happ- 20+HR
    Bregman- 20+ HR
    Busch- 25+ HR
    Seiya- 20+ HR
    PCA- 20+ HR
    Nico- 5+ HR
    MoBaller- 10+ HR
    Swanson- 20+ HR
    Kelly/Amaya- 15+ HR

    (Shaw/Caissie/Austin – 25+HR)

  11. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Just had to say, didn't I read somewhere that the Dodgers are going to pay like 170 million in luxury tax…and the Cubs are worried about paying a few million if they go over?

  12. 17:20 “…to a big market team instead of us…”. WE ARE A BIG MARKET TEAM. this is Chicago, with the most loyal fan base in the majors. One of the most expensive tickets to a game in the majors. A network that charges us ridiculous amounts of money just to watch the games, yet somehow can’t seam to make money. It is so damn frustrating that the revolving cheapskate owners of this team have us trained that we don’t deserve big name players. I’m almost 50 years old, been a fan of this team since I can remember knowing what baseball was. But when that team to which I have been loyal all my life continues to determine a value on a player, instead of on winning, you know as in how the winning teams do it, it gets really difficult to continue as a fan. And by the way, how did that valuation work on Tucker? Traded away Paredes, who could have filled our 3rd base needs in 25, cam smith, who was a gold glove finalist (guess where —- in RIGHT FIELD), and Hayden, who had a lost season with injury…dumped bellinger, who could have satisfied our right field needs, but we still had to pay a whole lot of belly’s salary for ONE DAMN SEASON OF TUCKER. they knew they were never going to resign him, this was all about hoping the one year would help boost us into the playoffs for one year to placate the fan base for another 5 or 6 years of shit. What’s gonna happen winter of 2026? When everybody’s in a walk year…ricketts and hoyer gonna be cagey all season, then march out and say in November that no one is worth what they’re asking and now it’s time to rebuild. I don’t know if my anger is coming thru these words im typing, but I’m pretty fucking angry at this team and ownership

  16. Love you guys. The best! So many great points. Loved the DMV reference! Loved the first part about how you explained that cub fans are so completely devoted. Far more than any of the owners or front office.

  17. Loved when you said move Shaw! But not to second base! Move him out of the team. Trade him assp! You can put together something to get a solid player. He has too much personal baggage.

  19. 27:57 If Happ were to somehow hit 30 HRs in any upcoming season as a Cub, he’d be the first Cubs player since Rick Monday in 1976 to have his first season of 30+ HRs for the first time at the MLB level in his age 30 season or older.

    Highly doubt it happens, but a good piece of trivia.

  21. The ideal Christmas wish is Bichette, Imai, and someone like Dominguez. But I'll take Gallen and Okamoto or even Suarez. We're looking for DH insurance incase Mo can't handle it, who is right-handed and plays infield. That's, in order, Bichette, Bregman, Okamoto, Eugenio. Starters, the trade options are Ryan, Gore, Cabrera, and likely a few others, but only if Bichette or Bregman sign. Imai and Gallen are the FA options and one more 97+ arm, regardless of their history would be nice. But don't be surprised if Brown becomes this years Keller. No one want Keller after 2024.

  23. Why such willingness to move Shaw? I would rather move Cassie. Sign Bregman, but move Suzuki to RF and rotate guys through DH, let Shaw play multiple positions

  28. Would a trade for Jarred Duran be out of the picture or could that be possible? I know he hasn’t really player RF but he would fit perfect on this team in my opinion. He has really good speed and would slide right into the lead off spot.

  31. Bergman just walked from 2/80. YOUWERE RIGHT Sam. Alex is nico with 10 more Homer's. IF you trade Shaw we relive Lou Brock regrets. Need Bo. And figure it out. Get Imai use a 6 man rotation. Use Cassie Reyfr(forgot his nama) seiya and MO as Dh.

  32. Happy holidays, Matt and Sam Sam thank you for sharing that. Got the family friend and one thing about Cubs fans as you both know and I’m important it is we’re family. I’ve never met a jerk Cubs fan in my entire life. There’s a lot of other fans that are like that but. Cubs fans are like family. Go Cubs.

  33. When the league plays Poker, the Cubs play Go Fish. Ricketts might as well move the Cubs to a small market city like Memphis since he wants to spend like a small market team.

  37. If they can salary dump Jamo and Hoener this may work. Shaw to second and Rea in the rotation until Steele’s return. This would allow those two signings, get long term certainty, and have money for deadline and pen.

  41. Starters pitchers cade horton j axon wiggins brandon birdsell framber ranger saurez that is your 2027 2028 latest cole mathis 3b in place of brandon in bullpen javier asaad because brandon what do you notice much of freeagents buid from with in new cubs plan more profits less we are cincinati las vegas rays marlins twins guardians nationals rockies milwaukee brewers and the cubs are trying to prove you do not need large to beat brewers dodgers mets phillies padres reds in playoffs or bluejays redsox yankees tigers guardians mariner astros because we know how to win world series and we can acomplish both being a team that can create huge profits and do not exceed luxury tax so we can forget big stars except one or two because cubs will alway be filled and if go over luxury tax you pay cannot get a share of luxury that is ricketts way we could not collect instead we had 537000 dollars to pay

  43. Everybody thinks their team's fans are unique. The Cubs fans actually are though. They embrace the "loveable losers" moniker, and there is a reason for that: Low expectations due to cheapskate ownership. Self-fulfilling prophecy. If they ever got a clue like I finally did (after last years trade deadline debacle), and withdrew their financial support for the team (as in attending games and buying Cubs gear), the owners would either be forced to spend, or sell the team to owners that are willing to invest not only the team, but the team's fans. It broke my heart to abandon the Cubs after 60+ years, don't get me wrong. But if more did the same, they would eventually have to change their ways or sell the team. If only a million show up this year, instead of 1 1/2 to 2 million, that's a huge cut in revenue. I have become an Athletics fan, who in the past have been prone to have the same problems as the Cubs have over the years. Except their fans actually did quit showing up at A's games. And for once, they are starting to spend a little cash to hold onto the core members of their team for half a decade or so. I wish you all a lot of luck in the upcoming season, but I just can't anymore.

  45. Sam your analogies are close, but you forget thatbyje Cubs actually have the means to go over the tax but choose not to.

    Better analogy is not you wanting to dunk, but MJ only choosing to do layups instead of dunking.

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