Believe it or not, Cubs’ whiff on Alex Bregman was actually the right call

At long last, the Alex Bregman sweepstakes have come to a close. The Boston Red Sox will pay the All-Star $120 million over the next three seasons. The deal includes money deferred and opt-outs after 2025 and 2026. Looking at the rumored suitors, let's look at the Chicago Cubs, who were thought to be the favorite for a while.

Jacob Misener of Cubbies Crib hits the nail on the head:

"In other words, they're paying Bregman the same amount the New York Yankees are paying Aaron Judge — the reigning American League MVP who has amassed 10+ WAR in two of the last three seasons as the game's premier offensive talent. Good luck with that."

I couldn't agree more. It would have been nice to see a lineup of Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Seiya Suzuki. But at that price point, this contract is high for my taste. To think that Bregman is now the fifth-highest player in MLB in terms of AAV is an eye-roll.

To piggyback Misener's point above, I'm not trying to slight Bregman, a sold baseball player, but he hit .262/.350/.444 over the last four seasons. It's not as if he's putting up Aaron Judge-caliber numbers, as his monster 2019 season was a whole six years ago.

The Cubs already have many players that hit in the mid-20s home runs with a slightly above-average batting average and play good defense. Adding another at $40 million a year for those stats teeters closer to a fireable offense than a strategic addition to the roster.

You can do much more with that money, especially when you have seven top-100 prospects available if you must get creative in a trade. Fenway will play nicely for Bregman, but I'm still allocating funds elsewhere for that price.

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Did the Cubs whiff on Alex Bregman or stick to their guns?

The Cubs and Jed Hoyer were smart here not to get desperate. Think about $40 million a year for a second. The opt-outs are nice for Boston, but if Bregman declined more in 2025, as we started to see in 2024, will he let you off the hook on that deal? Absolutely not. Again, I'm probably sounding bitter. Bregman is a good player. There is no doubt there. But is he worth as much as Judge annually?

This article is for the national rhetoric that will say the Cubs again whiffed on a top target in free agency. They started the offseason not even interested in Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, or Max Fried. They missed on Roki Sasaki (as if anywhere but L.A. would ever be home), and now they decided not to overpay somebody. I can't say I'm mad at the Cubs' front office, in fact, I'm relieved they weren't willing to take on that deal.

However, the Cubs need to take some of the dollars that weren't used on Bregman and finish off a solid offseason. David Robertson is available, and even though the Cubs already have a log jam in the bullpen, that shouldn't stop them from fielding the best team possible.