The Cubs are set to add a standout veteran to their roster, having agreed to a five-year deal worth $175 million with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Saturday night. The club has not confirmed the deal, which does not include any opt-out clauses but does contain a full no-trade clause, per the source.
After nine seasons with the Astros, Bregman reached free agency for the first time last offseason and signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox that included two opt-outs. He exercised the first of those opt-outs after the 2025 World Series, hitting the open market once again.
Bregman was extended a qualifying offer from the Astros after the ’24 season, making him ineligible to receive one this offseason. Thus, there is no Draft pick compensation attached to him, or penalty for signing him.
Selected second overall by the Astros in the 2015 MLB Draft, Bregman has been one of the game’s top third basemen since his debut in ’16. With the LSU product as one of their cornerstones, Houston made eight straight postseason appearances from 2017-24, earned four AL pennants and won two championships (’17, ’22). Bregman slashed .272/.366/.483 with 191 homers and a 132 OPS+ in the regular season during his time with the Astros, adding 19 dingers with a .789 OPS over 99 playoff games.
The 31-year-old kept it up with the Red Sox in 2025, though he was decidedly more productive before a right quad strain landed him on the IL in May than he was after returning to Boston’s lineup in July. All told, Bregman recorded 18 homers, with an .821 OPS and a 128 OPS+, earning his third All-Star selection along the way and helping the Red Sox make the postseason as a Wild Card team.
Bregman’s best season came in 2019, when he finished second in the AL MVP Award voting after hitting .296 with 41 homers, 112 RBIs and a 1.015 OPS. While his performance that year stands as a bit of an outlier, he has never ended a season with an OPS+ below 113, a testament to his consistency. Among primary third basemen, only José Ramírez has been worth more WAR (per FanGraphs) than Bregman (43.1) since 2016.
The Astros showed interest in a reunion with Bregman last offseason, but he rejected their reported six-year, $156 million deal and ultimately landed with Boston after lingering on the market into February. Houston moved on with Isaac Paredes as its new third baseman.
Bregman’s deal with the Red Sox created some tension between the organization and its former starting third baseman, Rafael Devers, who signed an 11-year, $331 million extension with Boston in 2023. With Bregman manning the hot corner, the Red Sox moved Devers to DH initially before cutting ties with him completely in June, trading the slugger to the Giants in a blockbuster that shocked the baseball world.
