By: Jen McCaffrey, Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney

Again flexing as a big-market franchise, the Chicago Cubs reached an agreement with All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman on a five-year, $175 million contract, league sources told The Athletic Saturday night.

The news broke while the city’s sporting attention was focused on a Bears playoff game at Soldier Field. With this deal, the Cubs are leaving no doubts that they plan to stage postseason baseball at Wrigley Field this season.

The Cubs reconnected with Bregman after a failed bid to sign him during spring training last year, when the club viewed him as an ideal fit: a clutch hitter and Gold Glove defender who also brings natural leadership qualities. Bregman first established that reputation as a foundational player for the Houston Astros, helping the club win World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.

He ranked No. 3 on The Athletic’s Big Board and was projected by Tim Britton to receive a six-year deal worth $171 million.

In 114 games last season, Bregman hit .273 with an .821 OPS, 18 homers and 28 doubles and was the unquestioned leader of a young Boston Red Sox team that needed a big voice.

For the first two months of 2025, Bregman carried the Red Sox, hitting .299 with a .938 OPS through 51 games before a severe right quad injury sidelined him for seven weeks. After missing 48 games, he pushed to come back before the All-Star break but wasn’t quite the same. He hit just .250 with a .724 OPS over his final 63 games, though he still provided solid defense at third.

Bregman navigated an awkward setup with Rafael Devers throughout spring training and the early part of the season as the Red Sox signed him to play third base. The move shifted Devers, the homegrown star, off his natural position to designated hitter. Devers was vocal about his disapproval. Still, Devers said he respected Bregman because of the way he played the game. The Red Sox, though, opted to trade Devers to San Francisco in June.

Throughout the season, teammates and coaches lauded Bregman for his leadership, not just with the young core of Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, but in helping fellow veterans like Trevor Story and Rob Refsnyder and even pitchers on the staff, giving them insight into how he’d attack them as an opponent.

Bregman wants to win and has reached the postseason in each of the last nine seasons he’s been in the league. A key reason for him signing with Boston last season was that he liked the direction of the organization, particularly its young core.

Nevertheless, he had a qualifying offer attached last offseason, and his market was suppressed, leading to a spring training deal in which he signed with the Red Sox for three years, $120 million with two opt-outs. Despite speaking highly of his time in Boston, Bregman, who turns 32 in March, opted out of the contract in hopes of landing a longer deal in what seems to be his final shot at landing a major deal.