It’s been a slow January for the Chicago Cubs, but things could be about to heat up at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs are poised to make a run at wresting the National League Central crown away from the Milwaukee Brewers, and John Heyman of the New York Post reports that Chicago is “one of the teams believed to be showing significant interest in Alex Bregman.”
Heyman has reported of the Cubs’ interest in signing Bregman before. He notes that the team has positioned itself to make a big splash before Opening Day and Bregman may be the play.
Bregman is represented by agent Scott Boras, who has a long history of getting maximum client payouts. While Spotrac’s calculated market value for Bregman points to a four-year contract of nearly $120 million, Boras’ representation hints that any deal that the nine-year Major League Baseball veteran inks could be higher than that.
The 30-year-old has played his entire career with the Houston Astros, the team that drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft. His previous five-year, $100 million contract expired with the final out of the 2024 season.
The Cubs have a gaping hole at third base after trading Isaac Paredes to the Astros in a deal to acquire outfielder Kyle Tucker. Many believe that Chicago will give top prospect Matt Shaw a shot at making the position his in Spring Training.
However, the Cubs are reportedly interested in dealing second baseman Nico Hoerner for pitching. If that trade were to happen, Chicago likely would give Shaw a chance to replace him on the roster, leaving a gap at third base.
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