Cubs Still Discussing Potential Alex Bregman Deal, Budget Issues Complicate Matter
The Cubs and Astros are currently in negotiations with the Astros for reliever Ryan Pressly, with a deal hinging on him waiving his no-trade clause, sources have confirmed to CI. This isn’t the only connection between the two teams, as there rumors about Alex Bregman being a realistic Cubs target resurfaced Friday.
Jon Heyman mentioned the Cubs having interest in the third baseman, along with the Red Sox and Tigers, but his report came across more like Scott Boras propaganda. The notion gained legs, however, when The Athletic — Sahadev Sharma, Patrick Mooney, and Astros writer Chander Rome — detailed the Cubs’ ongoing conversations about Bregman. Sharma and Mooney had previously shut down any Bregman talk and I’ve heard he wasn’t a realistic option unless many things changed.
The situation may have shifted or it may just be a matter of due diligence, as the report tempers any interest.
While the Cubs are trying to be opportunistic and get creative on a Bregman deal, sources indicated their current budget for baseball operations does not leave much room for the All-Star third baseman. Like the Astros, the Cubs have an ownership group that is reluctant to go over the $241 million luxury-tax threshold”- The Athletic today.
All signs point to Cubs ownership maintaining a budget well below the first level of competitive balance tax penalties, hindering Jed Hoyer’s ability to acquire multiple key pieces to win the division. If Bregman is willing to do a short-term deal, the Cubs may be in business. However, he reportedly has multiple five-year deals (presumably Detroit and Boston) and at least one six year deal (Houston) on the table. The question remains whether he’d rather do a shorter deal with opt-outs that would allow him to hit the free agent market again after a year or two.
If Bregman does land in Chicago, the roster crunch becomes very real and the most realistic option to alleviate it becomes trading Nico Hoerner and having Matt Shaw move to second base. Multiple teams have shown interest in Hoerner in the past, including the Mariners, Guardians, and Yankees. One wild idea is to ask the Guardians about Emmanuel Clase, although the odds he’s moved are low.
Moving Hoerner also frees up money that could be used to pay Bregman, along with the cash Chicago would likely get from Houston in the possible Pressly deal. It’s a lot of moving parts, but pulling it all off would certainly reshape the Cubs roster ahead of spring training.