Alex Bregman decides his next MLB team and agrees blockbuster $175 MILLION contract after winter of speculation
Two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman has agreed a huge $175 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to reports.
Bregman, 31, spent last season with the Boston Red Sox after agreeing a three-year, $120m contract in February, but he opted out in November and became a free agent.
As first reported by ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the third baseman has now decided his next move, joining the Cubs a year after they pursued him in free agency.
The deal includes no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause, per Passan's reporting.
Bregman spent eight years with the Houston Astros prior to his season in Boston, winning the World Series twice in 2017 and 2022.
He is a three-time All-Star, most recently in the 2025 season after impressing during his short stint with the Red Sox.
Alex Bregman spent last year with the Red Sox but opted out of his $120m, three-year deal
The move is a huge boost for the Cubs going into 2026, and was announced in the middle of the Bears' ill-fated playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
It is one of the biggest contracts in Cubs' franchise history, and will see the team move a step closer to World Series contention after a season in which they finished second in the National League Central and won 92 games.
It is reported that Chicago will consider trading either Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw to make room for Bregman, but they would be able to keep both if they wanted to.
Third baseman Bregman won two World Series titles with the Astros, most recently in 2022
Bregman made his MLB debut in 2016 and won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, bursting onto the scene.
He was then named MVP of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, winning his first World Series with the Astros later that year.
Following the 2024 season, he departed Houston after rejecting a one-year, $21.05m qualifying offer, around the same time being named the AL Gold Glove Award winner.
Multiple teams chased Bregman but he opted for the Red Sox last summer, replacing Rafael Devers as the primary third baseman.
