Cubs, Bregman agree to 5-year, $175M deal (source)
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CHICAGO -- The Cubs have attempted to bring Alex Bregman into the fold via free agency in each of the past two offseasons, hoping to bring his revered leadership, impact bat and strong glove to a team trying to make the postseason an annual event.
On Saturday night, the North Siders got their man, with the club reaching an agreement with Bregman on a five-year contract worth $175 million, multiple sources told MLB.com. The deal, which is pending physical and was not confirmed by the team, includes no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Once finalized, the contract would be the third largest in Cubs history in terms of total value, trailing only the $184 million (eight years) deal for outfielder Jason Heyward in '15 and the $177 million pact (seven years) for shortstop Dansby Swanson in '22. The Bregman deal would have the largest average salary ($35 million) in Cubs history.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs are deferring $70 million of the contract, which would lower the present-day AAV (average annual value) for Competitive Balance Tax purposes. This marks a philosophical change for Cubs’ ownership, which had been opposed to deferrals to date. By doing so with Bregman’s deal, though, it potentially keeps the 2026 payroll under the first CBT line ($244 million).
Adding Bregman is a major statement signing for a Cubs team that won 92 games last season en route to a Wild Card spot but fell in five games to the rival Brewers in the National League Division Series. In the wake of that defeat, two primary goals for Chicago’s front office this offseason were to add an impact starter and potentially a star-level bat.
Earlier this week, the Cubs landed their impact arm in a blockbuster trade with the Marlins, bringing hard-throwing righty Edward Cabrera to Chicago for three prospects, including Top 100 slugger Owen Caissie. By finding a more affordable starting pitcher like Cabrera (signed for $4.45 million this week in the first of three remaining years of control via arbitration), the Cubs could be more aggressive in their pursuit of one of the top free-agent hitters still on the board.
That led the Cubs back to Bregman -- a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and Gold Glove winner -- after he was high on the team’s wish list last offseason, too.
A year ago, the Cubs saw Bregman’s free agency linger into Spring Training and the club extended a four-year, $115 million offer (with the first opt-out arriving after ‘26). Bregman took a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox that had an opt-out after '25, which he used to re-enter the open market this winter.
During the ‘25 season in Boston, the 31-year-old Bregman hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs, 28 doubles and 62 RBIs, while posting 3.5 bWAR and a 128 OPS+. The third baseman was limited to 114 games due to a right quadriceps injury that shelved him in May, but Bregman still made his third All-Star team and helped the Red Sox reach the playoffs.
Bregman’s one year in Boston came after a nine-year run with the Astros, who picked him second overall in the 2015 Draft (after Swanson was selected first overall in that class). In Houston, Bregman blossomed into a star and leader for a group that won the Fall Classic in ‘17 and again in ‘22.
In his 10-year Major League career, Bregman has hit .272/.365/.481 with a 132 OPS+, finishing in the Top 5 in MVP voting twice. He was runner-up in ‘19, when he launched a career-best 41 homers and posted 8.9 bWAR. Bregman topped 25 homers four times with the Astros and averaged 4.5 bWAR per year across ‘22-24 before moving on to Boston.
Bregman’s arrival to Chicago will come after the Cubs had another former star Astros hitter, Kyle Tucker, as part of the ‘25 roster. Tucker entered the free-agent market this winter and the chances of him returning to the North Siders seemed slim, making it crucial for the Cubs to see if they could find another impact bat to add to the lineup.
The Cubs already have a third baseman in Matt Shaw, who experienced a strong second half in a solid rookie showing last year, but Bregman brings more experience to a now-deep infield group. Bregman can man third with Swanson at shortstop, Nico Hoerner at second and Michael Busch handling first base. Shaw could move into a super-sub role for multiple positions.
With Shaw bumped out of the starting group and Hoerner eligible for free agency after ‘26, the Cubs could explore trading one to address other needs. Or, given manager Craig Counsell’s desire to have a stronger bench group to rotate in and out of the lineup, the Cubs can keep Shaw and Hoerner in place and have a wealth of options for any given game.
What is clear right now is that the Cubs wanted to be aggressive in their push to unseat the Brewers as champions of the NL Central. To help with that task, Bregman now adds nine years of postseason experience to the North Siders, having 102 playoff games across 21 series under his belt.