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The Chicago Cubs are poised to make a run at wresting the National League Central crown away from the Milwaukee Brewers.
While the team has not been a major player so far in winter’s free-agent frenzy, Chicago has cleared salary space to make a run at one of the top bats still available in third baseman Alex Bregman, according to multiple reports and rumors around the internet.
However, Mark Powell of Fansided notes that recent comments by Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, toss a big bucket of ice-cold water on any thoughts of Bregman joining the Cubs.
Boras addressed the rumor that Bregman would be open to a shorter-term deal with opt-outs given that his market has not materialized beyond the six-year, $156 million deal offered by the Houston Astros that was turned down.
“Bregman’s a championship player, teams know it,’” Boras told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “It’s really a matter of his decision-making and theirs, about how you can close up that gap. There’s substantial interest (in long-term) deals.'”
The thought had been that the Cubs could pursue a deal similar to what the team had with Cody Bellinger — three years, with player opt-outs. However, that would require Boras and Bregman to accept that it was a mistake to shun the long-term deal with Houston.
The 30-year-old has played his entire career with the Houston Astros, the team that drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft. His previous five-year, $100 million contract expired with the final out of the 2024 season.
Chicago has yet to address its gaping hole at third base, created by the trade of Isaac Paredes to the Astros as part of the package that brought outfielder Kyle Tucker to Wrigley Field.
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