"A year after losing out on Bregman, who reportedly had strong interest in joining the Cubs, Jed Hoyer got his man with a five-year, $175 million contract that proves to everyone how serious this team is about winning in 2026 and beyond. Frequent CI readers might not have been as shocked as others, since we had written about how splurging on arb salaries indicated a potential willingness to spend on a bat."
"The deal contains no opt-outs and features a full no-trade clause, and Ken Rosenthal was first to report that $70 million will be deferred. While we don't yet know the deferral schedule, and thus can't pinpoint the exact AAV, expectations are that it'll fall in the $30 million range. That would give the Cubs a roughly $1.5 million buffer before getting into penalties."
Alex Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million contract with full no-trade protection and no opt-outs, and $70 million of the deal will be deferred. The deferrals reduce the deal's net present value, bringing its effective average annual value into the roughly $30 million range. That projected AAV keeps the team about $1.5 million below the first luxury-tax penalty tier for now. Incentives or other roster additions could push payroll into penalties, and ownership appears willing to exceed luxury-tax limits. The team previously cleared budget space via the Edward Cabrera trade and may consider trading players like Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw to create more room.
Read at Cubsinsider
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