The Chicago Cubs currently are rolling with a 40-man roster that does not have an immediately clear option at third base. They traded away Isaac Paredes earlier this off-season, and prospect Matt Shaw, who has just 35 games of Triple-A experience underneath his belt, is expected to emerge as an option at some point, but he will have to earn an opening day spot if he is going to make that significant of a leap.
That being said, there could be a role for the Cubs to bring in an established external third baseman as a short term solution. One popular free agent target out there is Alex Bregman. While he would be a great addition to a lot of teams, it was recently revealed that Chicago has engaged in short term contract discussions with him.
The Chicago Cubs have engaged in short term contract discussions regarding Alex Bregman
According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs and Alex Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, have had “casual” discussions regarding a contract for Bregman. The framework reportedly would consist of a three year deal with opt outs after each of the first two seasons. Boras has deployed this strategy in the past for his clients, especially as spring training gets closer, but in recent memory Cubs fans should be familiar with this as Cody Bellinger’s three year, $80 million deal included multiple opt out opportunities as well as a fourth year player option.
Alex Bregman received a qualifying offer from the Houston Astros
If the Cubs were to sign Alex Bregman, they would be subject to losing draft picks and international bonus pool money as Bregman previously received a qualifying offer from the Astros earlier this off-season. According to Aldo Soto, Chicago’s would stand to lose their 2025 second and fifth round draft picks as well as forfeit $1.0 million in international bonus pool money.
Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker re-uniting on the Chicago Cubs would make them instant National League Central favorites
The Houston Astros have moved on from Alex Bregman, as he previously turned down a six year, $156 million deal. As a result, they acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes and sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. If Chicago was to re-unite Tucker and Alex Bregman, it would make them instant favorites in the National League next year. That duo won a lot of games in Houston, and it has to be tempting for Bregman to consider joining his teammate in the windy city on a short term deal in order to potentially net him the contract he was looking for next off-season.
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