Craig Counsell puts foot down on Scott Boras, Alex Bregman with third-base update

With Spring Training right around the corner, Alex Bregman is the best free agent left by far. While it's surprising to see a big name still available, it's unsurprising to know that the big name still out there is a Scott Boras-represented client looking for more money than teams are willing to offer.

Bregman has been linked to a handful of teams all offseason, including the Chicago Cubs. The fit in Chicago is crystal clear. The Cubs are a team trying to compete, have money to spend, and don't have an established third baseman on their roster. Bregman is a third baseman.

While the Cubs make a lot of sense on paper, nothing has been finalized between the two sides or even reported to be close. Craig Counsell declaring Matt Shaw as the frontrunner to be the team's third baseman right now won't help Boras get Bregman to the Windy City.

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Craig Counsell's third base plans won't help Scott Boras get a deal for Alex Bregman

Is this set in stone? No, but the Cubs sure seem confident with top prospect Matt Shaw as their third baseman. Counsell is going to give him every chance to win the third base job, and it's hard to blame him. Shaw is a really impressive player coming off an awesome first full professional season which ended with him in Triple-A.

What this really means is that with Shaw in the mix, the Cubs won't go out of their way to sign Bregman. They'll sign Bregman to a deal they believe is reasonable, but they won't go out of their comfort zone to get a deal done knowing that Shaw, in their minds, is an appropriate fall-back.

Could this be Counsell trying to gain extra leverage for Chicago? Perhaps, but Shaw is a realistic pivot to a Bregman miss. It's not as if the Cubs are forced to rely on a guy like Ernie Clement like the Toronto Blue Jays or Jace Jung like the Detroit Tigers. Shaw might not have the experience factor, but he's seen as one of the best prospects in the sport.

This undoubtedly makes Boras' job harder as he continues to attempt to find a desperate Bregman suitor. The Cubs, on paper, as a big market team desperate to win with an opening at third base, felt like an optimal suitor, but clearly, that is not the case.

Again, the Cubs could end up signing Bregman, but it feels as if that will only happen if the third baseman makes some serious compromises. Any sense of leverage Boras and Bregman thought they had over Chicago is long gone.