Chicago Cubs Will be Better Off Long Term not Signing Alex Bregman

The Chicago Cubs were stung by coming up short in their pursuit of Alex Bregman, but they will be better off in the long term.

Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman (2) runs after hitting a single against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning of game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs became a late entry in the sweepstakes for now former Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman, but they wound up coming up short as he wound up signing with the Boston Red Sox instead.

With the Cubs interest seen initially as a surprise, it became more clear when they were only interested in the two-time All-Star on a short term contract, but reports over the last month indicated he would not be interested in a deal of that nature.

Painfully, it's exactly the kind of contract Bregman wound up signing with the Red Sox, a three-year deal worth a staggering $120 million and containing player opt outs for both the second and third season.

Chicago's final offer was nothing to turn your nose at either, but the same total cost over four years instead of the three Boston was offering ended up being a no-brainer for Bregman to turn down.

Of course, this stings for Cubs fans who were hoping to cap off their big offseason with another superstar. But regardless of whether Bregman was coming or not, Chicago has set themselves up to be a major contender again for the first time in a long time.

Coming off four consecutive missed postseasons and his job looking to be on the line, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer took a refreshingly aggressive strategy this winter when it came to adding talent, and it looks on paper at least like it paid off.

As for the third base situation, for as exciting as bringing in Bregman would have been, it may wind up being in the Cubs better long-term interest to have the spot open.

Whether or not top prospect Matt Shaw seizes control of the job and winds up as the team's Opening Day third baseman remains to be seen, but his arrival is inevitable.

In 121 games across Double-A and Triple-A last season, Shaw slashed .284/.379/.488 for an OPS of .867 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI.

Perhaps most encouraging was after spending the majority of the year in Double-A with Tennessee, Shaw stepped up his performance in the final 35 games of the year once he got called up, hitting seven home runs and raising his average to near .300 and pushing his OPS over .900.

Shaw has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to taking next steps in his development, and while counting on him to be a star immediately without having taken an MLB at bat may be a bit lofty, keeping third base open is in the best interest of the franchise.

He may have to learn on the job and develop through a bit of a trial and error period, but Shaw is as close to a sure thing as a prospect can be and looks to be a key franchise cornerstone for the forseeable future.

Signing Bregman would have been exciting, but with the newest Boston resident turning 32 years old this year and posting numbers which are starting to decline, Shaw has higher upside both now and moving forward.