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Cubs linked to Alex Bregman, but there’s a catch

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Christopher Hennessy | Last updated Jan 31, 2025 2:13 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have made noise this offseason by adding players from the Houston Astros. Kyle Tucker moved to the Windy City in a December trade followed by January’s addition of Ryan Pressly. But Chicago may not be done and a face of Houston’s dynasty is still available. Alex Bregman may sign with the Cubs in free agency but he has to change one key request.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported, “Meanwhile, the Cubs lurk just in case Bregman suddenly changes his mind and is interested in a short-term deal.”

He also mentions the Tigers, Red Sox, and a return to the Astros as options for Bregman. Those have been the three teams with the most noise around them all winter, but the Cubs are new. For Bregman to end up in Chicago, he has to bring down his request for a long-term contract.

Bregman has not signed a six-year $156 million offered by the Astros this winter. So if he thinks he can get the Manny Machado-esque contract he’s been asking for, a short-term deal might be where he ends up. The Cubs traded their third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Astros for Tucker, so they have a need.

Should Alex Bregman sign with the Cubs?

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) singles against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Bregman is a “long shot” to return to Houston. That implies that if he does not sign the $156 million deal, they will not bring him back. There could be a reunion on a one-year deal but it does not seem likely. So if the Cubs are the only team offering him a short-term deal, he should take it.

If a team was willing to give Bregman a decade-long contract, he would have signed by now. And his refusal to sign the Astros’ offer shows that anything less than that is not what he is looking for. So any team that offers him a one-year deal with a player option for 2026 will have a chance to sign him. This would be similar to the deals that Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery signed last winter.

The top-end talent in this free-agent pool overshadowed Bregman’s availability. The same thing happened with Pete Alonso, combined with the bevy of first basemen moved. Next year, Vladimir Guerrero, Bo Bichette, possibly Luis Robert Jr, and Tucker will highlight the class. Bregman is better off signing a long-term deal now than trying again with another loaded class next year.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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