Cubs want Bregman but stop short of ‘recruiting’

MESA, Ariz. — Chicago Cubs players are making their pitch to free agent third baseman Alex Bregman but claim they aren’t overtly recruiting him.

“I don’t think it’s recruiting,” Cubs pitcher and Bregman’s former Houston Astros teammate Ryan Pressly said Tuesday from spring training. “It’s not, ‘Hey, come here, come here.’ Would I like to play with him? One thousand percent. I would love to play with him.”

Bregman, 30, remains unsigned as camps open throughout Florida and Arizona. Position players are due in later this week for the Cubs, who began spring training a couple days earlier than other teams because of a March trip to Japan.

The longtime Astro wasn’t necessarily on the team’s radar to begin the offseason, but an opening at third base remains despite Chicago’s top prospect, Matt Shaw, currently getting reps there.

Meanwhile, the Cubs jettisoned all their third basemen from a year ago while signing veteran Jon Berti to potentially back up Shaw. Acquiring Bregman would complete an active offseason that saw the organization trade for Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker and Pressly.

“Obviously he’s an incredible player,” Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon said. “I think just getting these guys from Houston, that team went on a crazy run for a lot of years and these guys, guys like Ryan Pressly, have played in very big moments. So did Alex Bregman, so did Kyle Tucker. And I think that’s pretty cool to add to this room. Just winners and people who expect to win.”

The Cubs themselves expect to win in 2025 after missing out on the postseason the previous four years. They’re prepared to start the season with Shaw as their third baseman, but Bregman would represent a huge difference-maker at a position they ranked 27th in fWAR last season. Bregman compiled a 4.1 fWAR in 2024, fourth among all third basemen.

“Among owners and teams it’s a gold rush,” Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, said Tuesday when asked for a status update. “The acquiring team immediately … potentiates championship value.”

The Cubs haven’t been overly aggressive in signing huge, long-term deals over the past two winters, but if Bregman is willing to take a shorter-term contract, there could be a match. It’s the same scenario that played out last February when the team re-signed outfielder Cody Bellinger to a three-year deal with opt-outs after the first two seasons.

Bellinger signed just before the calendar turned to March, so the team proved its willingness to wait.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was asked Sunday if there was room in the budget for a big addition.

“I probably wouldn’t answer that,” Hoyer replied. “Talking about exact budget numbers I think is always a dangerous thing, but I would just say we’ve been really focused this offseason on trying to optimize as much as we can within our budget to make sure that we are a really competitive team.”

In other words, Hoyer isn’t tipping his hand. But while the front office has been mum on the subject of Bregman, it doesn’t mean players have to be. There’s little doubt they’d like to add yet another championship veteran to the clubhouse.

“I know those guys [Pressly and Tucker] speak very highly of him, and I’ve definitely heard them communicate that out loud,” Taillon said.

Pressly added: “Whatever happens with Breggy I’m going to support him. I just hope I can support him in the same clubhouse.”