As a free agent for the second consecutive year, Alex Bregman has found a new home with the Chicago Cubs
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Bregman has agreed to a five-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the news.
Chicago gave Bregman a full no-trade clause as part of the agreement, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Bregman, who signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox last offseason, hit free agency again after exercising his opt-out.
There had been some rumblings during the season about Bregman and the Red Sox coming together on a long-term contract. He left the door open when asked about it during All-Star week.
“Maybe,” Bregman said. “I think for me, I’m focused on playing good baseball and trying to help this team win games. We’re obviously open to hearing whatever the Red Sox have to say.”
Even though things didn’t happen before Bregman got to test the market again, he was able to secure the long-term contract that eluded him during his first run as a free agent last year.
The addition of Bregman was a huge boon to the Red Sox in 2025. He has a .273/.360/.462 slash line with 18 homers in 112 games and made the AL All-Star team.
A quad injury kept Bregman out of action for seven weeks midway through the season and did impact his performance. He hit just .250/.338/.386 in 63 games after returning to the lineup on July 11.
Bregman getting a full offseason to get back to 100 percent should have him playing closer to the level he did prior to the All-Star break when he looked like one of the best players in MLB.
The Cubs will be banking on Bregman playing up to his full potential as they look to make a push for the playoffs in 2026.
The addition of Bregman raises a lot of questions about the Cubs’ plans going forward. On the surface, he’s a very good player who can help a team looking to take another step after making the postseason in 2025.
A deeper examination of their current roster, though, suggests another move could be on the way.
Matt Shaw seemed to have a lock on third base because of how good his glove work is and how well his bat came along over the course of his rookie season.
The 23-year-old hit .258/.317/.522 with 11 homers over his final 63 games. He ranked third among all qualified third basemen in defensive runs saved.
A simple solution would be to put Bregman at second base, but Nico Hoerner was the best player at the position by FanGraphs’ WAR in 2025. These are good problems for a team to have, especially since Kyle Tucker remains a free agent and the Cubs need to potentially replace his offensive production.
Whatever the plan ends up being for the Cubs, there’s no doubt their roster is better with Bregman in their quest to catch the Milwaukee Brewers as the top team in the NL Central in 2026.
