If Chicago Cubs Land Bregman, This Former Stanford Star May be on the Trade Block

The Chicago Cubs have already made two big trades with the Houston Astros, bringing in outfielder Kyle Tucker and righty reliever Ryan Pressly in separate trades. Now rumors are swirling that the Cubs are interested in bringing free agent Alex Bregman into the fold, though they'd prefer a shorter term deal with a high average annual value. Whether the two sides can come together on a deal is still unknown.

Bregman is after a five-year deal, while the Cubs reportedly see him as a fit on a one to three year contract.

In the Tucker deal, the Cubs included third baseman Isaac Paredes, an extreme pull-side fly ball hitter, to the Astros where he will be able to take full advantage of the Crawford Boxes in left field. This move was meant to clear a path for Matt Shaw, the team's No. 1 prospect, and the No. 22 prospect in all of MLB.

Shaw played both second base and shortstop in college, but with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner up the middle, he's been getting most of his playing time at third base in the minor leagues. If the Cubs were to sign Bregman, that would mean that Shaw would likely have to move to one of his previous positions, and with Swanson under contract through the 2029 season and owed $137 million over that span, it's probably not going to be him.

Instead, it would be the former Stanford middle infielder, Hoerner, who is under team control for two more seasons and owed $11.5 million in 2025, and $12 million in 2026. This past season, Hoerner, 27, hit .273 with a .335 OBP with seven home runs and 31 stolen bases in 151 games played. Over the past four seasons, he has been varying degrees of just better than league average with the bat.

On defense though, he won the Gold Glove award in 2023, and has been an absolute machine with the glove no matter where the Cubs have played him in the field. Over the past three years combined, he has been worth 12.8 fWAR, which is really solid, especially for the rate of pay that Chicago has him at.

Teams would be lining up to make a deal with the Cubs to land Hoerner. The Seattle Mariners jump out as a trade partner, given that Dylan Moore is their presumed second baseman as things stand, and he is projected for a decent season, given a 98 wRC+ and 1.9 fWAR. Yet this was a position that the M's ranked No. 24 in WAR at this past season.

Moore has floated around the diamond in recent seasons, getting time at second, first, third, and in left field. Sticking him to one position robs the club of his versatility. Moore is slightly above average with the glove at second, but Hoerner is on another level completely.

Of course, Seattle wouldn't be the only suitor in this potential deal, but they are a team that is still hoping to contend in 2025, though they haven't made many moves this winter. Making a trade like this could be an under-the-radar move that sets them up nicely and extends their lineup just enough to get them to the postseason.