During a December 4 episode of 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show, Chicago Cubs MLB insider Bruce Levine got clear on the budget that Jed Hoyer and the front office have to work with in free agency this offseason.
“The one thing that that type of report [about the Cubs bowing out on Cease after $200 million] shows you is that the Cubs are, number one, letting people know they’re going to spend money,” Levine said, per an X post from 670 The Score.
“There is, according to my sources, upwards of $50 to $60 million yet to be spent on this year’s payroll. There is that flexibility in there for the Cubs right now, to probably spend somewhere between $45, $55 million, which would even keep them from going over the luxury tax number at about $245 [million],” he added.
Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer in attendance before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Cubs at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
This admission speaks volumes about the Cubs’ potential strategy this winter. Having approximately $50 million certainly means that Chicago can sign at least one elite free agent. However, the team will need to allocate some of that money to bolstering their bullpen, which remains depleted after so many of their 2025 relievers became free agents this offseason.
Therefore, the Cubs will likely need to choose whether to spend the rest of that budgeted money on an ace-caliber pitcher or a premier hitter who could potentially replace Kyle Tucker’s production in the lineup.
Insider Makes Telling Admission About the Cubs’ Alex Bregman Interest
The common sentiment is that the Cubs are more likely to spend their budget on a frontline starting pitcher, as they’ve reportedly been more active on that market (which is shown by them being a major player in the Dylan Cease sweepstakes before he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays) over the past few weeks.
Alex Bregman | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
However, a comment that New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman made in a December 4 article could change this line of thinking.
Heyman noted that free agent third baseman Alex Bregman is in “excellent shape” right now, given that the Cubs, the Tigers, and the Red Sox are all showing a lot of interest in signing him.
The Cubs have been linked to Bregman many times since the season ended, as he could potentially help atone for losing Kyle Tucker and would solidify Chicago’s defense as baseball’s very best.
While Chicago signing Bregman might mean they’re out on adding an impact pitcher, it would improve their starting lineup. And their reported interest in him shows this is something they’re willing to do.
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