The Chicago Cubs didn’t get free agent third baseman Alex Bregman [insert frowny emoji].
Instead, that evil, evil Bregman went and signed with the Boston Red Sox for Aaron Judge money, earning $40 million a year for three years, with opt-outs after each season. With this one offseason hold-out move, he now becomes tied for fourth highest-paid MLB player.
The Cubs, meanwhile, only offered him the pittance of $120 million for four years, making his yearly pay just $30 million and putting him a lowly 19th on the list of top earners.
From the talk online, some Cubs fans are way too despondent over the loss of Bregman.
But Cubbie loyalists need not fret too much. This is totally not as serious as some are making it out to be. Remember just a short month ago when that guy wasn’t even on Cubs fans’ wish lists? On the grand scale of frustrating disappointments, this ranks somewhere between losing Kyle Schwarber for nothing and dropping half your $7 dollar Wrigley hot dog on the peanut shell-covered ground.
So, what do the Cubs do now that Bregman is out of the picture?
They move on…they LIVE…and, hopefully, they spend some of that Bregman cash.
Here are 4 things the Cubs should do in an Alex Bregman-less reality.
Go “all in” with Matt Shaw (and Nico Hoerner)
Honestly, Matt Shaw was probably always the answer when it comes to third base. He’s 23, busting with raw potential and big league drive. Defensively, he’s worked hard and, according to reports, he’s not that bad (with potential to be pretty good). They need to go with the kid and see where it goes. He’s certainly more affordable than Moneybags Bregman. Trust that Shaw is no Christopher Morel. And, while going with Shaw, the Cubs can keep going with Nico Hoerner, who is wildly underrated and underappreciated.
Spend some of that Bregman money
With that $30 million saved by losing out on Scrooge McBregman, there’s a lot the Cubs could do to improve the team. They could pick up a veteran insurance piece like Justin Turner to help with third base and first base. Turner knows how to win and has tons of postseason experience. They could also pick up one more bullpen piece because, well, you just never know (I won’t mention Ryan Pressly by name, ahem).
Make that big pitcher trade
Now that Bregman is off the Cubs’ Valentine list and media has stopped scribbling “Cubs + Bregman Forever” in their notebooks, the path is cleared for that big, rumored trade for top-of-rotation starting pitching. As of this writing, the San Diego Padres may or may not still be dangling Dylan Cease and Michael King as trade bait. Why not kick the tires on a big deal for either, or, perhaps, someone else? There’s budget for it. The Cubs’ rotation is pretty solid at the moment, but there’s no such thing as TOO MUCH good starting pitching.
Save up for Kyle Tucker
If the Cubs don’t spend anymore this offseason, they could always take those Bregman Bucks, roll them up tight, and slide them into their Clark the Cub piggy bank for Kyle Tucker, who will become a free agent at the end of this season. The 28-year-old Tucker will demand a pretty penny as, by far, the best available outfielder in the free agent class of 2026 and could command a deal of nine or ten years for upwards of $350 million. He’ll be worth every penny, but it’ll take some serious coupon cutting and relish packet recycling to get the Ricketts family to the point of even looking at such a deal without feeling light-headed.
In short, the Cubs will be just fine despite not landing Bregman. If not, fans can root obsessively against him and angry-laugh when he bangs lowly singles off the Green Monster in Fenway.
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