MESA, Ariz. — If the Cubs bring in a veteran third baseman this spring, it looks like it won’t be Alex Bregman.
Bregman agreed to a three-year deal with the Red Sox for $120 million, according to multiple reports Wednesday night.
The Cubs had been interested in signing the two-time All-Star, but optimism that he would end up in Chicago was waning by Wednesday.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer declined to comment directly about Bregman, or any free agent, in a news conference Sunday as the team opened spring training.
When asked if the Cubs had the payroll flexibility to make a significant addition this spring, he said: “Talking about exact budget numbers is always a dangerous thing. But I would just say, we’ve been really focused this offseason on trying to optimize as much as we can within our budget to make sure that we are a really competitive team.”
Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw is the favorite to win the position battle at third base this spring, as the roster stands, but the Cubs have stressed that it will be a competition.
“He just doesn’t have a lot of experience at third base,” manager Craig Counsell said this week of Shaw, who the Cubs drafted No. 13 overall in 2023. “He doesn’t have a lot of professional experience, period. And that’s a credit to him. That’s not a knock on him.”
The year he was drafted, Shaw won the Brooks Wallace Award, which goes to the most outstanding college shortstop. Last season, he transitioned to playing primarily third base.
Veteran utility player Jon Berti can also play the hot corner. And in the Rule 5 Draft this winter, the Cubs selected third baseman Gage Workman from the Tigers.
None of the players who made starts at third base for the Cubs last year are still in the organization.
