Will Cubs take another run at Alex Bregman?

Troy Taormina - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 58 minutes ago

Of all the Cubs' potential Free Agent targets last season, Alex Bregman to this day seems to be the one that got away. Not only did the Cubs have a need for a third baseman when the season started, but Bregman himself made it publicly known that he wanted to be a part of the Cubs and pair up with Kyle Tucker again.

While most of the baseball world knew that, apparently, Tom Ricketts and the Cubs never got that memo, as they reportedly made Bregman a low-ball offer that didn't make any sense for him to take. He wound up signing with the Red Sox instead, and despite dealing with injuries during the first half, he still put forth a great season that could actually benefit the Cubs this year.

Once the season ended, there were many questions about whether Bregman would opt in to his contract to remain with Boston or opt out to hit the market again. The choice was an easy one for Bregman, as he not only opted out of that deal days after the season ended but also turned down the qualifying offer, as he will once again be a free-agent target.

Given the reports last year on how he wanted to be here and whatnot, it will be interesting to see if that interest is still there or if the Cubs even go down the road to give him a deal. The tricky part of the whole situation hinges on Matt Shaw, who, by all accounts, is still considered the long-term option at third but went through far too many growing pains last season for a contending team.

Sure, the defense was elite and, for the most part, gold glove caliber, but apart from three weeks out of the All-Star break, his bat was putrid, and you have to wonder if the Cubs may look to get him some early-season reps in the Minors. The only way that happens would be for the Cubs to take a big swing at third base this offseason, and what bigger swing to take than by trying to land Bregman?

Looking back at last season, the reported contract the Cubs offered Bregman was a four-year deal at $130 million per season. Granted that may not be the deal he wanted, but at close to 35 million a year annually, it would've been the richest contract in Cubs history AAV-wise. He wound up taking a shorter deal with the Red Sox at three years and 120 million, but the 40 million in AAV was the kicker, as he wanted a higher AAV as opposed to years.

Knowing where these two sides stood a season ago, you have to wonder if the Cubs are going to come in around the 35-40 million number again to try to convince him to sign before the potential work stoppage next season. Who's to say any of these guys will get the kind of money they are getting nowadays once a new CBA is reached, so you could see teams be more aggressive with how they do business this offseason.

Primarily a guy who is going to hit in the .280 range with close to 30 homers and 90-plus RBIs, Bregman had a down season when you throw that into the mix, but was limited to just 114 games after dealing with lower leg injuries early in the season. When on the field, it was more of the same as he went on to finish the season with a .273 average, 18 homers, and 62 RBIs.

Those numbers alone would've been better than any of the Cubs' other third base options last year, but those are not 30+ million-dollar-a-year numbers. I expect Bregman to bounce back in a big way this season, and should he get back to where teams expect him to be, adding him to the Cubs lineup would be huge, especially come the postseason.

Approaching his age-32 season, some wonder how much he has left in the tank when it comes to producing at a high level, as this is the age when some players start to decline. That alone may scare the Cubs away, as they could look to give him a shorter-term contract with opt-outs and a higher AAV.

That isn't something they tend to do, but in this case, it could be the best option for both sides. On one side, you have the Cubs, who would be adding a thumper to the middle of the lineup and could extend the lineup more than they did this season. You also have the situation where, if he doesn't pan out, you aren't tied to him long-term, which would allow you to go back to Shaw much quicker.

On the other hand, you have a guy in Bregman who could use an opt-out deal to pad his stats for two seasons and elect to bolt should he like a different situation to help him gain the most money possible. Regardless of what happens, the two sides had significant interest a season ago, and it will be interesting to see if the interest is still there this offseason.