Cubs May Land on David Robertson as RP Search Narrows, Still ‘Hanging Around’ Alex Bregman Derby
As more and more relievers come off the board, it’s looking yet again like the Cubs could make their choice for what is probably their final bullpen addition by default. Within the last two weeks, they’ve seen legit or reported targets Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Carlos Estévez, and Ryne Stanek come off the board. The first two went to the Dodgers, but the latter pair signed respectively with the Royals and Mets for less than projected. That adds a little disappointment, but the bigger issue is that the Cubs’ options are very limited at this point.
Among the remaining high-leverage arms to whom the Cubs have been connected, only David Robertson and Kyle Finnegan stand out as possible difference-making additions. While there are other relievers out there, the market drops off after those two. And even there, Robertson appears to be the most obvious possibility given his connection to the team and the fact that the two sides have been eyeing one another for a while now. CI was also told a little while back that the Cubs were not close to the favorites for Finnegan’s services.
While he wouldn’t have been my first choice given his similarity to Ryan Pressly in terms of handedness, velocity, and stuff, Robertson has 65 more career saves. You’d be hard-pressed to find a pair of veterans with a better combination of experience and makeup, which is a big part of what Jed Hoyer is trying to add as he rounds out his roster. The Cubs have always been big on providing their younger players with on-the-job training, so it makes sense to add someone who can show and tell Porter Hodger and other relievers how to go about their business in the bigs.
To that end, Hoyer is still seeking another infielder even after the team officially announced the signing of Jon Berti. It was a little surprising that they DFA’d Luis Vázquez to make room, but maybe they see something in Vidal Brujan the rest of us don’t. Or perhaps it was just a matter of going up the 40-man in reverse order, as adding another bench bat could mean the end of the Vidal Era on the North Side.
Bruce Levine specifically mentioned 35-year-old Jose Iglesias and 31-year-old Jorge Polanco “looming as potential options” for a team trying to add depth while both primary middle infielders recover from offseason surgery. The very well-traveled Iglesias joined the Mets on a minors deal last year and took over at second base when Jeff McNeil broke his wrist, eventually slashing .337/.381/.448 with four homers and a 137 wRC+ in 291 plate appearances.
Polanco wasn’t quite as successful in his first season in Seattle following a long run with the Twins, slashing .213/.296/.355 with 16 homers and a 92 wRC+ in 469 PAs. He also played second base exclusively in 2024 and has only logged a total of 21 games and 133 innings between third and short combined over the last three years. The big advantage he’s got over Iglesias comes in the power department, where he holds a 128-51 advantage in 336 fewer PAs.
On the flip side, Polanco has always been a bat-first guy whose massively negative defensive metrics erode a lot of the value he’s produced at the plate. That might be a bigger concern if we were talking about him having to spend a lot of time at a premium defensive position, but I think the Cubs’ power deficiencies give him a slight edge as a complementary piece. Polanco is also a switch-hitter, so that’s a mark in his favor.
Not that any of it will matter if the Alex Bregman saga somehow takes a twist and he ends up eschewing multiple offers of 5-6 years in favor of trying to inflate his value on a short-term deal in Chicago. Levine reported that the Cubs are “hanging around” as the third baseman weighs his choices and Jon Heyman said they hold “extra allure” after adding Pressly and Kyle Tucker. I tend to believe that the latter nugget in particular is a plant from Scott Boras, but there’s been enough smoke here that it can’t be dismissed.
The issue here is that adding Bregman would almost certainly mean trading Nico Hoerner to clear salary, roster, and infield space. I’m perhaps at the far end of the spectrum when it comes to my valuation of Hoerner (higher than most) and Bregman (lower than most), and it’s been…uh…interesting to discover how many people think the former is actually bad. Like, they truly believe that. Or that power alone makes Bregman a better option.
While I still don’t think the Cubs are as much a realistic destination as they’re being used for leverage, things could get weird as spring training draws closer. Another team to watch in this competition is the Tigers, who have been among Bregman’s top suitors all winter and would also like to add to their bullpen even after signing Tommy Kahnle. It’d be kinda funny to see them get Bregman after having already signed Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, then you’ve got the Jeimer Candelario and Isaac Paredes connection.
Wait, who did the Cubs trade to the Astros for Tucker? And the snake eats its tail, giving us a veritable ouroboros with the Cubs trying to morph into the Astros and the Tigers trying to morph into the Cubs and…well, I don’t know who the Astros are trying to be. Maybe they’re also becoming the Cubs since they don’t seem to be willing or able to extend many of their own stars.
We’d probably get quicker resolution on this if the Cubs managed to sell enough seats in The Yard to fund a big addition. Gotta break even somehow.