The Alex Bregman rumors to the Chicago Cubs are heating up.

Things have been quiet on the Bregman front in recent weeks, but Cubs insider Bruce Levine gave fans an update about the All-Star third baseman.

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“The Cubs have had many conversations with Scott Boras about Alex Bregman,” Levine said while appearing on 670 The Score’s Inside the Clubhouse.

It is an encouraging update that the Cubs continue to show interest in Bregman. They were close to signing him last winter, and it appears the North Siders are one of the finalists to land the 31-year-old in free agency.

Levine noted that the Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays are the three teams that are showing the most interest in Bregman. So, that could very well mean that Chicago is one of the three finalists to land the third baseman.

At this point in the offseason, it appears there’s a very realistic chance the Cubs sign Bregman in free agency. They have reportedly already met with him via Zoom, and the teams interested in him seem to have dwindled.

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However, the Cubs are likely waiting for Tatsuya Imai to make his decision before going all-in on the former Red Sox infielder. Imai has until January 2nd to sign with a team.

If the Japanese star does sign with the Cubs by next week, fans should expect the team to bow out of the Bregman sweepstakes. The front office simply won’t pay both Imai and Bregman this offseason, considering they would sign them for $250+ million combined.

If Imai decides to sign with another team, though, the Cubs will likely be more aggressive in their pursuit of Bregman. They would have the money to splurge on the veteran third baseman, and there aren’t too many other options to go after.

Therefore, it feels like the Chicago will sign either Bregman or Imai this offseason. The front office won’t sign both of them, but getting one of Bregman or Imai would be a massive win for the Cubs.

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“If the Cubs come out of the winter here and they’ve signed Imai, they haven’t added another hitter to replace Tucker, I think they’re gonna be alright,” Levine said.

Bregman would give the Cubs another big-time hitter in their lineup, while Imai would give the team a frontline starting pitcher. But all will depend on where the right-hander decides to sign by January 2nd.