Cubs Hit A Home Run With Alex Bregman

The Chicago Cubs could have gone a lot of different ways this offseason. 

They could have re-signed Kyle Tucker, who is in the midst of a career-worst year. Tucker currently has a .221 batting average with 12 home runs, 59 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 136 games for the Dodgers this season. 

Bo Bichette was likely on the Cubs’ short list of players to target this past offseason. Bichette’s numbers have regressed a bit from last year. The Mets infielder is batting .266 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI in 142 games in 2026. 

The Cubs, though, eventually set their sights on Alex Bregman. Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million deal with Chicago in mid-January. That was the team’s big offseason signing, and fans were definitely excited about his arrival. 

However, the start of his Cubs tenure didn’t go as planned. He batted only .239 with three home runs and 13 RBI in his first 40 games on his new team. Bregman simply wasn’t hitting to start the season, and there were concerns about how his numbers would look in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. 

His struggles then continued into the late spring/early summer. He slashed just .233/.332/.337 with four home runs and 22 RBI across 52 games from May 12 to July 10. Again, the veteran was simply not producing at the top of the Cubs lineup. 

But like always, Bregman has come out of that rough hitting stretch. He’s finally showing his worth to this Cubs team and is showing why the front office gave him a $175 million contract this past offseason. 

The 32-year-old veteran is slashing .308/.383/.632 with 17 home runs, 14 doubles, and 47 RBI over his last 50 games since July 11. He continues to swing a hot bat and has carried this offense for the last few months. 

Bregman has always been a slow starter at the plate before picking things up in the second half. He has a career .260/.355/.444 slash line with 113 home runs and 406 RBI across 744 games in the first half, and a career .288/.375/.520 slash line with 114 home runs and 379 RBI across 581 games in the second half. 

This season has been no different.  

Bregman is now up to a .262/.350/.443 slash line with 24 home runs and 82 RBI across 142 games this season. He has a current 4.8 WAR and is on pace to finish with his highest WAR in a season since 2019 (8.9). 

While things looked bleak early on, Bregman has absolutely been a home run pickup by the Cubs. He has become a key part of this offense and continues to play solid defense at third base. His 83rd-percentile Fielding Run Value explains just that. 

Bregman has lived up to his contract in his first season in Chicago.