For the past week or two, the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers have been the only teams in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes that remain. The race has tightened even further in recent days, with the Red Sox and Blue Jays now appearing to be distant contenders.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently projected that Bregman would leave the Astros and sign with the Cubs. Miller also mentioned Spotrac’s forecast of a $120 million deal for the superstar.
“The Cubs also have a star prospect to keep in mind, as signing Bregman would mean keeping Matt Shaw-MLB.com’s No. 19 prospect-on the back burner after a 2024 campaign in which he excelled at both Double-A and Triple-A,” he said.
“They are all-in on winning right now, though, with Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly in their first year, and they will be hating themselves later if they don’t sign Bregman and Shaw’s excursion into the majors goes as horribly as Brett Baty’s.
It’s only a hunch, but Chicago’s increased desperation/need puts them over the top.”
Chicago would need to make a few matching moves in addition to acquiring Bregman, but the addition would be a significant step in the right direction anyway. If Bregman signs for more than $100 million, the Cubs will most likely need to deal Nico Hoerner to avoid exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Hoerner is a potential trade possibility in any scenario.
Signing Bregman would create a stalemate in Chicago’s infield, with Hoerner, rather than top prospect Matt Shaw, likely to be left out.