Here's how Bregman's Cubs deal might ripple throughout market

On the heels of Alex Bregman agreeing to terms with the Cubs according to a source, we asked MLB Insider Mark Feinsand to examine the impact of this deal on the free-agent and trade markets.

There were some murmurs that the Cubs were at least on the periphery of the pursuit of Cody Bellinger, if not Kyle Tucker. The Bregman deal presumably takes them out of the race for those two, so what does this mean for them? Who are the actual suitors for those two outfielders?

The Blue Jays remain among the favorites for Tucker, with the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers also in the mix. Toronto and Tucker have seemed like a strong fit, and while there hasn’t seemed to be much movement since he met with the Blue Jays in Florida last month, no other team has stepped up yet to make him a strong offer.

Bellinger and the Yankees appear to remain far apart in their talks, with ESPN even reporting that the two sides are “at an impasse,” causing the Yankees to operate as though Bellinger won’t be back in pinstripes. I’m not ready to go that far, as these things are always fluid and can change daily. The Mets are certainly interested in Bellinger, while the Dodgers could look for a reunion with their former star, too.

Given that the Cubs have not been that aggressive in free agency in recent years, were you surprised by this move? And how do you think the rest of the NL Central will respond?

It wasn’t surprising that the Cubs were making a push for Bregman, a player they've had interest in throughout the winter. That they outbid the Red Sox was somewhat of a surprise, especially since Chicago hasn’t been a club to go big in free agency in recent years. It was pretty clear that Chicago wasn’t going to spend what it would have had to in order to keep Tucker, but after trading for controllable starting pitcher Edward Cabrera last week, the Cubs had some money to spend on a bat.

It seemed like the Red Sox were the likeliest destination for Bregman, so what does Boston do now?

The obvious answer is for the Red Sox to turn their attention to Bo Bichette, who could play second base and shift Marcelo Mayer to third base. But if the Blue Jays don’t sign Tucker, a reunion with Bichette would then be the likely scenario. If Boston can’t land Bichette, Eugenio Suárez could be a free-agent option at third base.

The Sox have a surplus in the outfield and rotation from which to deal, so a trade could be a prime option if the answer doesn’t come via free agency. Brendan Donovan remains available on the trade market, and Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom knows the Boston system as well as anybody, given that he brought many of those players into the organization.

Of course, with the addition of Bregman, the Cubs now have a surplus in the infield, potentially making Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw available. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow used to work in the Cubs’ front office, so perhaps he could try to pull off a deal with former colleague Jed Hoyer.

With Bregman now locked in at third base for Chicago, does this mean Matt Shaw is now a trade candidate, or perhaps Nico Hoerner (with Shaw moving to second)? And if so, which player do you think has more trade value, and who do you think is more likely to be moved?

Shaw definitely has more trade value, as he is under club control for six more years while Hoerner is slated to become a free agent next winter. That said, Hoerner is a proven big league commodity with two Gold Gloves who could be viewed as a safer choice for a team with postseason aspirations in 2026.

More importantly, Shaw is now lined up to replace Hoerner in 2027, so keeping the controllable player would seem to make more sense. It’s entirely possible that the Cubs hold both Shaw and Hoerner, using Shaw in a super-utility role this year before making him their starting second baseman the following season.