Alex Bregman looking to win a World
Series with the Chicago Cubs
[January 16, 2026]
By JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Bregman was clear and concise. His biggest
priorities are his family and winning baseball games.
Bregman's wife, Reagan, and sons, Knox and Bennett, watched from the
front row on Thursday as he detailed his reasons for signing with
the Chicago Cubs in free agency. He displayed his other priority on
the back of his new pinstriped jersey.
“I wore No. 3 because I wanted a third championship,” Bregman said.
That obsession with winning, and all the ways it affects the players
around him, was a major reason why the Cubs went out of their
comfort zone to reel in the All-Star third baseman with a $175
million, five-year contract.
The deal includes a no-trade provision and $70 million in deferred
payments. The Cubs have deferred money before — namely in contracts
for outfielder Jason Heyward and pitcher Jon Lester that helped the
team win the 2016 World Series — but nothing like the number they
went to for Bregman.
That's how much they wanted him.
“When you do make a significant commitment to a player, you want to
make sure that the person and the player are both at the highest
level, and with Alex, we know that,” Cubs president of baseball
operations Jed Hoyer said.
Hoyer has been following Bregman's career from afar for more than a
decade, long before the infielder was selected by Houston with the
No. 2 pick in the 2015 amateur draft — one spot behind current Cubs
shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Bregman, who turns 32 in March, played his first nine seasons with
the Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 — although
the first of those was during a sign-stealing scandal that earned
Bregman and his teammates plenty of scorn.
He also was pursued by Chicago before he signed a $120 million,
three-year contract with Boston last February, a deal that included
opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.
“You sort of heard stories about his level of confidence,” Hoyer
said.
When Bregman returned to free agency after batting .273 with 18
homers and 62 RBIs in his only season with the Red Sox, the Cubs
went after him again. Their consistent pursuit meant something to
Bregman, and their previous conversations helped lay the groundwork
for their new partnership.
“From the beginning of the offseason, the Cubs expressed to me that
they wanted me to be here, and they were committed to that,
committed to my family,” Bregman said. “Yeah, I cannot wait to get
to work with all the guys on the team in that clubhouse and
hopefully win a lot of baseball games and build something really
special for a long time to come.”
He isn't wasting any time, either. Shortly after the deal was
completed, Bregman asked for reports on his new teammates and a
meeting with the organization's minor league staff. He wanted to
make sure he was talking about the right things with other players.
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New Chicago Cubs infielder Alex Bregman talks to media after a news
conference in Chicago, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y.
Huh)
He has connected with several of his new teammates
already, including Swanson, pitcher Jameson Taillon and outfielders
Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong. He'll have an opportunity to speak
with more players at the team's annual fan convention this weekend.
“It's been fun,” Bregman said. “I feel like you can sense the
excitement here not only from the Cubs fans, but also the players.
They're very excited as well, and that's good.”
Bregman went to Hoyer’s office on Wednesday to make sure he was OK
with him playing for the United States in the World Baseball
Classic. Hoyer said he responded positively, and Bregman assured him
he will visit Chicago’s spring training complex in the mornings to
be around his new team.
“There's already been countless examples of things he's working on
that no one's asked him to do,” Hoyer said. “I think that's how he
thinks about his role. It's not just about getting his workouts in.
It's about making sure he's integrated with the entire team.”
Bregman joins a Chicago team that won 92 games last season and
reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Cubs were
eliminated by Milwaukee in a five-game Division Series.
Matt Shaw was the team's regular third baseman last year, with
Swanson at shortstop, Nico Hoerner at second and Michael Busch at
first. Shaw also can play second, but Hoyer sounded as if he planned
to keep his group of infielders for insurance.
Bregman was limited to 114 games last year because of a quadriceps
injury. The durable Swanson played in 159 games during the regular
season, but he turns 32 in February. Hoerner had right flexor tendon
surgery in October 2024.
The 24-year-old Shaw could move into a super-utility role to help
keep everyone healthy and fresh, including spending time in the
outfield.
“Matt Shaw's a really good athlete,” Hoyer said. “He hadn't played
much third and was a Gold Glove finalist last year. I have no
questions about his defense at any position or his ability to learn
something really quickly.”
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