Red Sox Facing Renewed Alex Bregman Challenge From NL Contender: Report

Alex Bregman is a very good ballplayer, and it was only a matter of time before his free-agent market started to come into focus.

After opting out of the final two years and $80 million on his contract with the Boston Red Sox, Bregman entered the open market hoping for long-term offers, ideally better than the six-year, $171.5 million deal the Detroit Tigers had on the table last offseason.

Outside of Boston and Detroit, we know that the Houston Astros, Bregman's old team, stopped bidding at six years, $156 million, the Toronto Blue Jays made a six-year offer of some dollar amount, and the Chicago Cubs were the final team that was truly in the picture.

Well, no word on Houston and Toronto at the moment, but Detroit is in the picture, and now it appears Chicago is as well.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Chicago Cubs planning to pursue Bregman

On Thursday, Patrick Mooney and Sadahev Sharma of The Athletic reported that the Chicago Cubs were showing a renewed interest in the three-time All-Star, despite a relatively set-and-forget infield at the moment that includes Matt Shaw, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch.

"After a failed bid to sign Bregman last spring training, the Cubs have shown renewed interest in the All-Star third baseman, according to sources briefed on the club’s offseason planning," wrote Mooney and Sharma.

"Chicago’s ownership group authorized Hoyer to make Bregman a four-year, $115 million offer (last winter) that included opt-out clauses after the second and third seasons, according to sources briefed on the negotiations."

If any Red Sox fans are hoping Bregman returns and looking for a silver lining to this report, the fact that the Cubs bid an extra year and still came up short on total dollars last offseason, disregarding the deferrals involved, is certainly a sign that Boston isn't the only fan base that has a case to be upset that their ownership group won't loosen the purse strings a bit.

Of course, the Cubs may not have been up to the minute on exactly what other teams were offering, so maybe $115 million wasn't their absolute limit. Bregman said on the "Section 10" podcast in February that the last half-hour of his free agency was an absolute whirlwind, and it seems probable that the Cubs' offer came during that time frame.

As the winter meetings approach on Sunday, perhaps there will be more hints that trickle out about what specific offers teams have on the table.

More MLB: Red Sox Linked To Familiar Target In Potential Dodgers Blockbuster