Latest in Cubs, Alex Bregman free agency pursuit
The window for the Cubs to add a premier third baseman is still open.
The team is “still actively involved in Alex Bregman talks,” 670 The Score and Marquee Sports Network contributor Bruce Levine reported Sunday morning. Levine added that Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, are hoping to extend offers into the 6-year range.
Levine adds that there is one 6-year deal on the table, but it includes opt-outs in the deal.
[MORE: Ryan Pressly makes his pitch for Alex Bregman to join Cubs]
Bregman, 30, was one of the biggest free agents available at the start of the offseason and remains the most lucrative fish available in the pool with Spring Training on the horizon. Pitchers and catchers report for the beginning of Cubs camp in exactly one week.
The pathway for Bregman to join the Cubs has always been a slim one — the Cubs weren’t in the market for Juan Soto and didn’t appear to be in the business of handing out a long-term contract to a veteran free agent, especially one who will be 31 when the team opens up their Stateside slate.
But Bregman’s market has failed to materialize — his previous club, the Astros, have added Isaac Paredes (in the Kyle Tucker trade with the Cubs) and first baseman Christian Walker, thus already crowding their infield. Detroit and Boston, two other potential targets, have made other additions to their rosters, too.
The Cubs would likely be interested in Bregman on a shorter-term deal with opt-outs, similar to the deal they signed with Cody Bellinger last offseason. That would allow them to upgrade the hot corner and not block consensus top-100 prospect Matt Shaw.