First, I want to thank Josh for taking care of posting about the late night Saturday news of Alex Bregman’s signing with the Cubs while I had a rare Saturday evening out.
Now, on to this signing and what it means. First, it was just last week that I asked you in the SB Nation Reacts survey whether you thought the Cubs would sign a big-name free agent and how much they would spend on him. Just to remind you of the results:
Only three percent of people who voted in this survey chose the correct answer, “more than $30 million.” Half of you said they wouldn’t sign one.
The line forms to the left for the mea culpas.
The Cubs needed to make a statement by signing one of the “big four” hitting free agents (Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette or Kyle Tucker) and they did so. Personally, I thought they’d go after Bichette, but Bregman is a perfect fit for the Cubs. Even though he missed nearly 50 games in 2025 with a quad injury, Bregman still posted 3.5 bWAR and batted .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs. The .360 OBP is in line with his career number of .365 and that’s a skill the Cubs can use, in addition to the power. Bregman has averaged 28 home runs per 162 games over his career, and the five-year term of this contract indicates, to me, that he can maintain that for the balance of the deal.
The contract covers his age-32 through age-36 seasons (he turns 32 just after Opening Day), and though I suspect in the last year or two of the deal there could be some decline in his performance, I think this is a good length of contract. As previously reported, there are no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause.
Bregman is also a previous Gold Glove winner (2024) so he should provide more good defense from an infield that is rock-solid defensively with Gold Glove winners Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner and a first baseman in Michael Busch who’s improved considerably at the position since he came to the Cubs.
Further, Bregman was cited many times as a good clubhouse influence in Boston, even though he spent just one year there.
Let’s address two proverbial “elephants in the room” following this signing.
First is the contract of Nico Hoerner, which expires after 2026. There’s no question in my mind that Nico should be extended. He is also seen as a strong clubhouse influence, he’s an outstanding fielder and while his hitting is only a bit above league average, he did have the best year of his career in 2025 both by OPS+ (114) and WRC+ (109). Nico turns 29 in May. There’s no reason the Cubs shouldn’t give him a four- or five-year extension.
Second is the status of Matt Shaw, who has now been replaced as the starting third baseman by Bregman. The Cubs don’t have an obvious middle-infield backup type of player on the current 40-man roster. Pedro Ramirez, who was added to the 40-man over the winter, is that type of player, but is only 21 and has yet to play above Double-A. I wouldn’t expect him to be ready for MLB play in 2026. Thus Shaw could be that guy. Or, the Cubs could trade Shaw, possibly for pitching, and see if they could acquire a backup infielder some other way. As always, we await developments. (Also, I ask that you keep comments on Shaw focused on baseball. Thanks.)
Kudos to Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer for making the bold, but necessary, move and signing a player to a deal that has the highest AAV ($35 million) in Cubs franchise history. The total on the contract, $175 million, is still a bit smaller than the $177 million in Swanson’s deal and the $184 million paid to Jason Heyward. Still, it’s a landmark for the team.
Lastly, Bregman has worn No. 2 throughout his MLB career, reportedly a tribute to Derek Jeter, who Bregman idolized growing up and as a college shortstop. He’ll have to change that with the Cubs, as that number belongs to Nico. No. 1 hasn’t been worn in a couple of years — maybe that would suit him.
The signing has not yet been officially announced by the Cubs, but I’d think it would be in the next day or two. And there’s certainly enough time to make arrangements for Bregman to appear at this weekend’s Cubs Convention.
In any case, this is a big, big deal for the Cubs and ought to make them the favorites to win the NL Central in 2026. I’ll have an update on payroll specifics here tomorrow.