The Rundown: Bregman Playing with Chip on Shoulder, Six-Man Rotation Thoughts, KC Shortens Fences, Tucker’s Market Clarifying

When the Cubs signed Alex Bregman, I immediately thought about when they landed Jon Lester 12 years earlier. Okay, my immediate thought was “Holy shit!” But after giving the move a little time to marinate, it became clear that the deals are similar in terms of establishing the Cubs’ legitimacy as contenders for both big free agents and the NL pennant. There’s also something to be said for both players being paid for their intrinsic qualities as much as their performance.

Lester was just about to turn 31 when he joined a Cubs team that had been downright bad for several seasons, providing a veteran presence to a team that hadn’t yet learned how to win. While Lester was tremendous with the Cubs, finishing second in the 2016 NL Cy Young voting, his best years were already behind him and his performance understandably eroded over time. But ask anyone whether the contract was worth it and you’ll get unanimous approval.

Bregman is about 14 months older than Lester was in 2015 and he’s coming to a team that already had a taste of success, but the concept is similar. He’s a grinder who isn’t likely to replicate the massive output he gave the Astros early in his career, and it’s possible — likely, even — he experiences a downward trend in production similar to what we saw with Lester. Even so, the Cubs are convinced that what Bregman brings as a grindy veteran will help to make up for some of that.

Look, I’m not trying to blow smoke up your collective ass about grit and experience being worth $30 million a year for a post-prime infielder struggling to produce at a league-average level. There is, however, a point at which you have to overpay on the back end to get the best outcomes early on. That was the case with Lester, and I think it could be with Bregman as well.

You know how it felt last season when Brewers manager Pat Murphy kept trying to play the underdog card despite having the best record in baseball? Or how the Dodgers tried to play that same card because they only won 93 games? Bregman is like the embodiment of both tactics, an undersized baseball rat who wears No. 2 to remind himself that he wasn’t drafted first overall in 2015. Know who was? Dansby Swanson.

The Cubs now have three of the top 10 players from that draft class, with Ian Happ at No. 9, which was also the case last year with No. 5 Kyle Tucker.

Bregman wore 8 in college because that’s the number LSU baseball awarded to the player who displayed the best work ethic and leadership. In that regard, he should provide the Cubs with a decidedly different presence from what they had in Tucker. Bregman has embraced his role as a standard-bearer since his college coach, Paul Mainieri, leaned on him a little to help him find that mental edge.

From forcing Bregman to apologize to a group of fans after cussing out an ump in a practice game or telling him that former Tigers standout Austin Nola would have fielded a particularly tough play, Mainieri knew how to spur his best player. Bregman’s got to motivate himself these days, but don’t think for a second that the payday will cool his competitive fire. He’s a little like little Michael Jordan in that he’ll find ways to give himself a psychological edge and motivation to beat his opponent.

The Red Sox may have provided a little of that motivation already with their lackadaisical courtship that included a take-it-or-leave-it offer, followed by the refusal to include a no-trade clause, and then a lengthened deferral schedule. Would he have been at Monday’s Blackhawks game rocking their red sweater even if he hadn’t felt slighted by the Red Sox? Probably, but there’s a sense that it was a very public way for Bregman to rub it in Craig Breslow‘s face.

I’ve watched Alex work tirelessly, chase his dream, and never forget where he came from. Signing with the Chicago Cubs is a proud dad moment and it’s a reminder that every New Mexico kid deserves the same shot he had.#cubs #mlb #chicagocubs #nmpol #nm pic.twitter.com/5ORWhJXvY1

— Sam Bregman (@Bregmanfornm) January 12, 2026

I wouldn’t say that about every player, as you often see this kind of cross-sport pollenation for various reasons. Just look at Pete Crow-Armstrong being on the sidelines for all the recent Bears home games. But with Bregman, who has made a career out of betting on himself and finding different ways to stoke that inner flame, I have to imagine it was more than just appealing to folks in his new city.

As someone who had long been lukewarm at best on a Bregman deal, I’ve come around to what it can mean for both team and player. Now the only question is who changes his number: Bregman or Nico Hoerner? And don’t answer it by saying it won’t matter because the Cubs will just trade Hoerner.

Cubs Could Stretch Rotation

Bruce Levine tweeted Tuesday that the Cubs will be exploring the possibility of a six-man rotation this season as they navigate various health and availability issues. Justin Steele isn’t expected back until at least midway through the first half; Jameson Taillon and Shōta Imanaga missed significant time to injury and aren’t getting any younger; Matthew Boyd pitched almost 56 more innings than he had in the previous three seasons combined; Cade Horton‘s 118 MLB innings were the most he’s ever thrown at any level; and Edward Cabrera suffered a sprained UCL late last season that resulted in his 11th IL stint.

The Cubs have depth in Colin Rea and Javier Assad, both of whom have shown the ability to work effectively in the rotation, so there’s no question the Cubs can operate with a six-man group. However, I don’t think it’s something they’ll go to right out of the gate. Even with Steele sidelined to open the season, they still have five capable starters. And with today’s game leading to fewer and fewer innings from starters, they’ll need to keep as many arms in the bullpen as possible.

Once Steele returns, they may need to change the structure a little bit to accommodate him. Of course, that assumes everyone else is healthy at that point. And though this isn’t something you want to assume, it’s possible that performance issues could lead to role changes for at least one of the projected starters. Kyle Hendricks got shifted to the ‘pen late in his Cubs tenure to work on some things, and such a move isn’t out of the question for this current crew.

Counsell might also opt for piggyback starts, though that tends to happen more with inexperienced pitchers. But let’s say Steele is working back and needs a little more runway before he’s able to comfortably provide six innings at a clip. Or if the Cubs have a particularly tough stretch in which a makeup game forces them to play 20+ days without a break. I suppose that would provide at least as compelling a case for a sixth starter as a piggyback.

This is something that has come up in the past, and it’ll surely be a topic at Cubs Convention and during spring training. To that end, I highly doubt either Counsell or the front office will provide any specifics other than to dance around the topic as something they have to consider. Besides, they have to wait until spring to see who’s even available and where everyone slots in.

My main issue with a six-man rotation is that an injury forces you to either dig another spot deeper for a replacement or shorten the rest periods to which your starters have grown accustomed. It’s much easier to flex for extra rest than to contract for less, so I think it’s easier to manage starts situationally than having to reconfigure a more static setup.

More News and Notes

• The Royals are moving the fences in at Kauffman Stadium to improve the team’s offensive output. The corners will come in by nine feet and the alleys by 10, plus the height of the wall will be reduced all the way around. Unless the wall moves back when the Royals are pitching, though, other teams will gain at least the same advantage.
• The Yankees acquired lefty starter Ryan Weathers from the Marlins for four minor league position players. David Weathers, Ryan’s father, was traded from the Marlins to the Yankees almost 30 years ago.
• The Cardinals are paying down a very large chunk of Nolan Arenado‘s remaining $42 million, leaving the Diamondbacks with a mere $11 million obligation. The Rockies are still paying $5 million in accordance with his trade to St. Louis, so the Cards are on the hook for $26 million. Man, Chaim Bloom really wanted to clear that space.
• Ken Rosenthal reported that the Padres had the “heaviest pursuit” of Arenado after the D-backs. The Pads failed because they weren’t willing to take on as much salary, which is wild when you’re talkin about $5.5 million AAV.
• Following the initial report of the Mets’ $50 million AAV offer to Kyle Tucker, two more reports corroborated the figure. It’s a short-term deal, maybe only two years and no more than three, but that’s some serious cash.
• Tucker also has a long-term deal on the table from the Blue Jays, per Jesse Rogers, but no details are available regarding duration or value. I’m guessing it’s for seven years at around $250 million with opt-outs. If the Mets are also giving early options, Tucker should take that deal and see if he can turn a healthy season into a bigger payday.
• At almost three years younger than Bregman, Tucker could make $50-100 million over the next year or two and still be in line for a deal of 5-6 years worth $200 million or so.
• Barring the entry of a mystery team, it seems like this could be wrapped up by the weekend.

Trailer Time

One of the greatest stories of all time, brought to life by Christopher Nolan and shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film. Throw in a stellar cast and you’ve got a recipe for an epic blockbuster that should appeal to a broad audience.