Alex Bregman Signs 5-Year $175M Deal With the Cubs

[Jaypers]

First they get their arm in Cabrera, now they get their bat in Bregman.


Jeff Passan @JeffPassan
Third baseman Alex Bregman and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a five-year, $175 million contract, sources tell ESPN. One year after their failed pursuit of Bregman in free agency, the Cubs land one of the biggest bats of the winter.

[JustinVerlander07]

That is a ton for a middle infielder who will be 32 on opening day.....Yikes

[PuddleMonkey]

warshed

[Coach Ditka]

As a Cubs fan, I'm not impressed.

[Hollywood42]

Cubs finally starting to act like their market size again

[Cracktoast]

yeah seems like a weird pairing and where does that leave Matt Shaw ? PCA and Suzuki are locks and hard to see him beating out Happ out of ST.

[evileddie]

I wanted Bichette. So much younger and not linked to a cheating scandal. Bregman's defense is better, but it's gonna take me a while to warm up to this. I hope Jed got this right.

[sportzluvr1]

Originally Posted by evileddie

I wanted Bichette. So much younger and not linked to a cheating scandal. Bregman's defense is better, but it's gonna take me a while to warm up to this. I hope Jed got this right.

Same here.

[awz50]

Originally Posted by evileddie

I wanted Bichette. So much younger and not linked to a cheating scandal. Bregman's defense is better, but it's gonna take me a while to warm up to this. I hope Jed got this right.

Clubhouse leader though

[PuddleMonkey]

Bang!

[carlo16]

Originally Posted by awz50

Clubhouse leader though

Woulda set them back a few bucks but they coulda just hired Matt Foley and not overpaid for Bregman.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Wild contract.

[daveyc1]

way way way too much money for 20 hr and 80 rbi

[crownand]

CLassic Chicago Cubs move. How many times have we seen this? An old star. How much left does he have in the tank?

[TBTC Baseball]

Originally Posted by Cracktoast

yeah seems like a weird pairing and where does that leave Matt Shaw ? PCA and Suzuki are locks and hard to see him beating out Happ out of ST.

Dansby, Nico and Bergman get lots of breaks during the season to keep them healthy? Does Miami need an infielder in exchange for another pitcher?

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by Cracktoast

yeah seems like a weird pairing and where does that leave Matt Shaw ? PCA and Suzuki are locks and hard to see him beating out Happ out of ST.

Shaw was mediocre last season, having a .690 OPS and mediocre bat speed and plate discipline.

Bregman was signed to replace Kyle Tucker, who is leaving in free-agency. Both had similar seasons last year, performing great in the first half, but struggling in the second half after getting injured:

Tucker:
1st half: .882 OPS, 17 HR, 423 PA
2nd half: .723 OPS, 5 HR, 174 PA

Bregman:
1st half: .927 OPS, 11 HR, 234 PA
2nd half: .727 OPS, 7 HR, 261 PA

[yoyosh]

It also moves Shaw into a super utility role (freeing him up for more speaking engagements!) while giving them flexibility if they trade/dont re-sign Nico

[TBTC Baseball]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Shaw was mediocre last season, having a .690 OPS and mediocre bat speed and plate discipline.

Bregman was signed to replace Kyle Tucker, who is leaving in free-agency. Both had similar seasons last year, performing great in the first half, but struggling in the second half after getting injured:

Tucker:
1st half: .882 OPS, 17 HR, 423 PA
2nd half: .723 OPS, 5 HR, 174 PA

Bregman:
1st half: .927 OPS, 11 HR, 234 PA
2nd half: .727 OPS, 7 HR, 261 PA

Funny you point out 1st and 2nd half breakdowns on Tucker and Bregman but don't mention Shaw had an .839 OPS in the 2nd half.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by TBTC Baseball

Funny you point out 1st and 2nd half breakdowns on Tucker and Bregman but don't mention Shaw had an .839 OPS in the 2nd half.

Looks like he finished the last month poorly, though, hitting .222/.313/.375 with 2 home runs in September.

[base set]

Most top ten free agent contracts look expensive on the front end. Soon enough, that’s just dollars under the bridge, and more increases in the TV package fee. I wish I could visit Illinois more often to see what Cub fandom is like in the small towns these days.

I’d say this will solidify Bellinger’s ask into the 40 range.

[here2havefun]

How did Boston fumble both Devers AND Bregman

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by here2havefun

How did Boston fumble both Devers AND Bregman

John Henry.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Shaw was mediocre last season, having a .690 OPS and mediocre bat speed and plate discipline.

He's still a top prospect.....and lots of top prospects have struggled their first year in the majors (Mike Trout, anyone?).

Shaw is too good of a prospect to write off already.

[boxbuster7]

is 35 million a year really that much for bregman? I think you guys are forgetting just how much he contributes on defense.

[Jed Clampett]

Originally Posted by yoyosh

It also moves Shaw into a super utility role (freeing him up for more speaking engagements!) while giving them flexibility if they trade/dont re-sign Nico

Shaw will come around after this past rookie season and he’s a solid speaker. Bichette would’ve been the better long-term signing. Move Nico now why he still has some solid value for another arm.