Cubs Sign Alex Bregman to 5-Year, $175M Deal

We told you the Cubs were still involved in conversations with Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman, but very few wanted to listen. Those who did — and those who didn’t — were rewarded Saturday night when Jeff Passan broke the news that the Cubs had signed Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal. While I have personally been somewhat dismissive of Bregman’s potential impact, this is a baller-ass move that immediately elevates the Cubs into the upper tier of contention.

Jed Hoyer just issued a hearty FU to everyone who doubted his intestinal fortitude, present company included. The fact that this news dropped during the fourth quarter of the Bears/Packers game is cruel, especially since I was just at a Vanilla Ice concert earlier in the evening. Yes, you read that right.

Dear Cubs, make it happen. pic.twitter.com/4JamXCPiwP

— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) January 7, 2026

We’ll have more on this move and all the details around it, plus what it means for the Cubs moving forward, but it’s clear Tom Ricketts got comfortable with going over the CBT penalty. The Cubs had a little over $31 million in room below the first tier, so Bregman’s $35 million AAV puts them over. This isn’t a tacit indication that they’re willing to push their chips in, it’s a declaration that the Cubs are here to win the NL Central and much more.

CubsCon should be hella fun.