Red Sox's massive offer for Bregman likely seals the Cubs' chances, as the price tag is far beyond Chicago's spending power.
The Chicago Cubs have not done much to add to their offense this offseason.
Outside of signing Tyler Austin to a one-year deal, the Cubs have failed to add an impactful bat to their lineup thus far. Hitters like Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, and Kazuma Okamoto have all signed with teams in recent weeks.
Therefore, the Cubs' best shot at landing a big-time bat this winter could come down to Alex Bregman.
The North Siders are said to be interested in the All-Star third baseman, and there is a possibility they will wind up landing him. There is the second straight offseason that the Cubs have been in contract talks with Bregman.
However, if the latest report about what the Boston Red Sox have offered Bregman in free agency is true, the Cubs will likely not land him this winter. This report comes from Marino Pepen, who has been around the Red Sox for a while.
Pepen wrote on X, “The Red Sox are offering Alex Bregman $160 million for 5 years, with a willingness to continue negotiating intelligently (options and incentives). Currently, it’s the most competitive offer.”
If the Red Sox do actually have an offer on the table for Bregman for five years, $160 million, that’s almost certainly way beyond what the Cubs are willing to spend on the 31-year-old. That deal would pay the veteran $32 million per season.
Considering the Cubs only offered Bregman four years, $115 million last offseason, it would be a bit shocking to see them commit $160 million to a player who turns 32 years old in March. Chicago’s payroll also becomes a problem for this year if that’s the contract Bregman wants.
As it stands now, the Cubs have around $38 million to spend before they hit the first luxury tax threshold. So, committing $32 million to Bregman for the 2026 season would give them only around $6 million left to spend.
That’s not enough to add another starting pitcher and leave money for moves throughout the 2026 season. So, there’s a strong chance that Bregman will not be a Cub if Pepen’s recent report is true.
It’s hard to imagine the Cubs paying that much money for Bregman. That potential $160 million deal would be the third-largest contract the front office has given out in the team’s history. Only Jason Heyward ($184 million) and Dansby Swanson ($177 million) have signed a deal worth at least $160 million in Chicago history.
So, things aren’t looking favorable for the Cubs to land Bregman right now.