In 2015, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman stood right next to each other, metaphorically speaking, in the MLB Draft. Swanson was that year's No. 1 overall selection by the D-backs, and Bregman was chosen at No. 2 by the Astros.
Eleven years later, they will be standing right next to each other on the left side of the Cubs' infield. Bregman is joining Swanson in the Windy City after agreeing to a five-year contract with the Cubs, multiple sources told MLB.com. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Swanson-Bregman partnership will mark the fifth time that the top two picks in a single MLB Draft later became teammates.
Let's take a quick look at the other four sets of teammates who went 1-2 in the MLB Draft.
Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, 2022-25 Twins
Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the 2012 Draft
After seven fantastic seasons with Houston that included a Rookie of the Year Award, two All-Star selections, a Gold Glove and a World Series title, Correa joined Buxton and the Twins as a free agent before the 2022 season. Correa posted a 138 OPS+ and 5.3 Baseball-Reference WAR that season, which could have been his only one in Minnesota when he opted out of his contract following the season. But after reported agreements with the Giants and Mets fell through due to concerns regarding his physical, Correa re-upped with the Twins on a six-year contract in 2023.
That year's Twins team won a postseason game for the first time since 2004 despite down years from Correa and Buxton. Both players bounced back in 2024, with Correa making his third All-Star team, although Minnesota finished fourth in the AL Central. Correa's time in Minnesota would end in 2025 once he was dealt to the Astros -- the team that drafted him at No. 1 overall 13 years earlier -- prior to the Trade Deadline.
Tim Beckham and Pedro Alvarez, 2017-18 Orioles
Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the 2008 Draft
Beckham never reached his full potential during a seven-year career that was impacted by injuries and multiple drug suspensions. The No. 1 selection by the Rays played in parts of four seasons with Tampa Bay before he was traded to the Orioles during the 2017 season. Alvarez's arrival in Baltimore preceded Beckham's by one year. The former Pirates third baseman bopped at least 30 homers in 2012 and '13, but did so while recording 30% strikeout rates and playing subpar defense at the hot corner.
After latching on with Baltimore as a free agent, Alvarez hit 22 homers with the Orioles in '16. However, he saw his playing time cut way back in the next two years. He and Beckham played sparingly together in 2017 and '18, which was the final season of Alvarez's career. Beckham's last MLB season was 2022, when he played in 12 games with Correa, Buxton and the Twins.
Paul Wilson and Ben Grieve, 2001-02 Rays
Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the 1994 Draft
Wilson, along with Jason Isringhausen and Bill Pulsipher, was a part of "Generation K," the nickname given to the Mets' three highly touted young hurlers in the mid-90s. Wilson debuted with the Mets in 1996 and recorded a 5.38 ERA over 26 starts. But his career was soon sidetracked by shoulder and elbow surgeries, and Wilson wouldn't make it back to the Majors until 2000 with the Rays.
Grieve, the 1998 American League Rookie of the Year with the A's, registered a 119 OPS+ from 1998-2000 before he was shipped to Tampa Bay as part of a three-team deal with the Royals that was headlined by a 27-year-old Johnny Damon going from Kansas City to Oakland.
With Wilson and Grieve, the Rays lost 100-plus games in 2001 and '02. The right-handed Wilson produced a 4.85 ERA over 54 starts (67 appearances) in those two seasons while the lefty-swinging Grieve hit a combined 30 homers in 290 games.
B.J. Surhoff and Will Clark, 1999-2000 Orioles
Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the 1985 Draft
In 1984, Surhoff and Clark were teammates on Team USA, which won a silver medal in that year's Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The following year, they were drafted by the Brewers and Giants, respectively, and eventually shared the same clubhouse again once Clark was traded to the Orioles ahead of the 1999 season.
Surhoff, who had been with the Orioles since 1996, made the only All-Star team of his 19-year career in '99. Injuries limited Clark to just 77 games that year, although he did finish with a 128 OPS+ and picked up his 2,000th big league hit. Their run as teammates would end a year later on the same day -- July 31 -- as Surhoff was traded to the Braves, and Clark was traded to the Cardinals.