Levine: Alex Bregman Open to Short-Term Deals, Cubs Have Talked to Scott Boras About It

[JD94]

I’ve skimmed Fangraphs and just not seeing much that makes sense for a Nico for SP trade that fits what Jed would likely want to do. I mean Cease and King are there, but it’s been explained how that just might not work out. Braves could really use an upgrade at SS, but they don’t have much pitching to offer and they likely need what they have until Strider gets back at worst. Clark Schmidt makes some sense I guess as I mentioned last night. That’s probably the one name that you can look at and say “yeah, maybe.” Seattle doesn’t appear willing to come off any of their SP. 

[Rcal10]

17 minutes ago, JD94 said:

I’ve skimmed Fangraphs and just not seeing much that makes sense for a Nico for SP trade that fits what Jed would likely want to do. I mean Cease and King are there, but it’s been explained how that just might not work out. Braves could really use an upgrade at SS, but they don’t have much pitching to offer and they likely need what they have until Strider gets back at worst. Clark Schmidt makes some sense I guess as I mentioned last night. That’s probably the one name that you can look at and say “yeah, maybe.” Seattle doesn’t appear willing to come off any of their SP. 

I think the Cubs would have to add to Nico for Schmidt. But I do like that idea. . 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

3 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I think the Cubs would have to add to Nico for Schmidt. But I do like that idea. . 

Strike that, reverse it

[Bertz]

I'll say on the Nico piece, one of the benefits to backfilling him with Bregman is I don't think you *need* some stud MLBer back.  

Like when the Cubs and Mariners talks around Nico were hot and heavy the talk was the Mariners wanted to make a deal with prospects and the Cubs needed MLB talent back.  With a Nico deal looking contingent on adding Bregman, the MLB team is not left lacking by a trade.  I'm fine if the Mariners want to send us prospects, as long as it's a deal where we get strong value.  

[Rcal10]

14 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Strike that, reverse it

You think the Yankees have to add? 

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Rcal10 said:

You think the Yankees have to add? 

Schmidt has 4.2 career fWAR, and I think even being bullish on him and what you could do, you're probably thinking he's a 3 win guy at the top (which he's never done yet) - Hoerner is probably a 4 win guy and done that three times now (virtually). He's a little older than Hoerner. He does have one extra year of control which levels it out a bit, but yeah, Hoerner's got added value here almost assuredly.

[Rcal10]

10 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Schmidt has 4.2 career fWAR, and I think even being bullish on him and what you could do, you're probably thinking he's a 3 win guy at the top (which he's never done yet) - Hoerner is probably a 4 win guy and done that three times now (virtually). He's a little older than Hoerner. He does have one extra year of control which levels it out a bit, but yeah, Hoerner's got added value here almost assuredly.

If the Cubs could do a 1 for 1 Hoerner for Schmidt I would be all in on it. Cubs are also saving around $7M on the trade. Which they may need to do. 

Edited February 6, 2025 by Rcal10

[ToolDRT]

Seems the trueblood stuff has to do with Minnesota 

 

[Randall Simon]

17 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I'll say on the Nico piece, one of the benefits to backfilling him with Bregman is I don't think you *need* some stud MLBer back.  

Like when the Cubs and Mariners talks around Nico were hot and heavy the talk was the Mariners wanted to make a deal with prospects and the Cubs needed MLB talent back.  With a Nico deal looking contingent on adding Bregman, the MLB team is not left lacking by a trade.  I'm fine if the Mariners want to send us prospects, as long as it's a deal where we get strong value.  

If you don't get immediate MLB quality back, then you've essentially traded Belli, Nico and Isaac for Tucker and Bregman (both of whom may leave at the end of the year).  It still makes us better for this season, but marginally, and potentially ruins us for 2026 and beyond 

[Randall Simon]

6 minutes ago, ToolDRT said:

Seems the trueblood stuff has to do with Minnesota 

 

I think his "hell of a night" tweet was in reference to the NBA trade deadline approaching, not Bregman news

[Bertz]

1 minute ago, Randall Simon said:

If you don't get immediate MLB quality back, then you've essentially traded Belli, Nico and Isaac for Tucker and Bregman (both of whom may leave at the end of the year).  It still makes us better for this season, but marginally, and potentially ruins us for 2026 and beyond 

If Bregman/Tucker leave you still have that money you earmarked for them to spend elsewhere.  Plus the aforementioned prospects for Nico.

I'd of course want Tucker to get retained (and I'd want Bregman to walk) but it's hardly going to ruin the team if both guys walk.

[Illiterate Scholar]

45 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I'll say on the Nico piece, one of the benefits to backfilling him with Bregman is I don't think you *need* some stud MLBer back.  

Like when the Cubs and Mariners talks around Nico were hot and heavy the talk was the Mariners wanted to make a deal with prospects and the Cubs needed MLB talent back.  With a Nico deal looking contingent on adding Bregman, the MLB team is not left lacking by a trade.  I'm fine if the Mariners want to send us prospects, as long as it's a deal where we get strong value.  

Yeah and it'd help offset the 2nd and 5th round losses. Given where we are in the calendar, I wouldn't expect a good major leaguer in return for Nico if he's traded before the season. 

[squally1313]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

I'll say on the Nico piece, one of the benefits to backfilling him with Bregman is I don't think you *need* some stud MLBer back.  

Like when the Cubs and Mariners talks around Nico were hot and heavy the talk was the Mariners wanted to make a deal with prospects and the Cubs needed MLB talent back.  With a Nico deal looking contingent on adding Bregman, the MLB team is not left lacking by a trade.  I'm fine if the Mariners want to send us prospects, as long as it's a deal where we get strong value.  

I'm not going to be thrilled about adding $18m ish in 2025 payroll and like $60m in future payroll to wind up in a wash for the 2025 major league team. There isn't really a prospect package out there that bridges that gap for me, especially in a 'win now' mode. I know a Bregman contract and 2/24 of Nico isn't apples to apples in terms of overall contribution to the team. But, what, you then thread the needle a third time (after the Bregman contract, and after the Nico trade) to trade prospects for the starting pitcher you still probably need in a few months? And ultimately you end up with a slightly better farm system than just getting a starter now, three months of a good pitcher instead of six, and a likely uncertain payroll situation, a la Bellinger, going into 2026.

Isn't it just easier to bite the bullet on Caissie, Assad/Birdsell, and a lower level lottery ticket now? Your farm system takes a hit, but you're a better team than you are in a increasingly unlikely hypothetical of a Bregman and Hoerner and Shaw future, and you maintain better in season flexibility and a lot more flexibility going into next year. And yes, I know we can't just wave our wand and force a Cease trade, but we also shouldn't just assume Bregman is waiting on our offer. 

 

[Randall Simon]

But Cease is a FA at seasons end too. 

[Bertz]

14 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

I'm not going to be thrilled about adding $18m ish in 2025 payroll and like $60m in future payroll to wind up in a wash for the 2025 major league team. There isn't really a prospect package out there that bridges that gap for me, especially in a 'win now' mode. I know a Bregman contract and 2/24 of Nico isn't apples to apples in terms of overall contribution to the team. But, what, you then thread the needle a third time (after the Bregman contract, and after the Nico trade) to trade prospects for the starting pitcher you still probably need in a few months? And ultimately you end up with a slightly better farm system than just getting a starter now, three months of a good pitcher instead of six, and a likely uncertain payroll situation, a la Bellinger, going into 2026.

Isn't it just easier to bite the bullet on Caissie, Assad/Birdsell, and a lower level lottery ticket now? Your farm system takes a hit, but you're a better team than you are in a increasingly unlikely hypothetical of a Bregman and Hoerner and Shaw future, and you maintain better in season flexibility and a lot more flexibility going into next year. And yes, I know we can't just wave our wand and force a Cease trade, but we also shouldn't just assume Bregman is waiting on our offer. 

 

You're certainly not wrong, and it's a big part of why I'm not thrilled about Bregman.

But I also don't want to throw good money after bad.  Swapping Bregman/Nico does two things

- Shifts the talent on the team to be more offense-oriented (and I gotta admit, the lineup looks way sweeter with Bregman)

- Makes the team's financial situation potentially worse in 26/27/28

I'm fairly comfortable with the team's talent level right now (also part of the reason I'm pumping the brakes on this whole thing), so I'd want some player talent to offset that potential financial cost in 2026+.

To borrow a phrase if there's a way to thread the needle, something like Hoerner + a young SP for Tanner Houck, that's great!  But I'm also cool bolstering the farm, going to war with this team, and worrying about the rotation again in July.  What I don't want to do is get laser focused on Nico for a SP and end up regretting it because the options available at this 11th hour weren't the best.

[squally1313]

1 hour ago, Randall Simon said:

But Cease is a FA at seasons end too. 

That's fine, seems like everyone here (implicitly or explicitly) wants Bregman to bail after this season too. Trading prospects for a one year guy is a win now move, but pretty much everything is telling us we should be in win now mode. On top of that, I think everyone here wants to extend Tucker. Cease 100% coming off the books at year end gives us a better shot than whatever the probability is of Bregman opting out. You're down prospects, sure, but Cease is a bigger improvement to the team, and you're more likely to sign Tucker, which makes you less likely to need someone like Caissie or Alcantara. 

[squally1313]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

You're certainly not wrong, and it's a big part of why I'm not thrilled about Bregman.

But I also don't want to throw good money after bad.  Swapping Bregman/Nico does two things

- Shifts the talent on the team to be more offense-oriented (and I gotta admit, the lineup looks way sweeter with Bregman)

- Makes the team's financial situation potentially worse in 26/27/28

I'm fairly comfortable with the team's talent level right now (also part of the reason I'm pumping the brakes on this whole thing), so I'd want some player talent to offset that potential financial cost in 2026+.

To borrow a phrase if there's a way to thread the needle, something like Hoerner + a young SP for Tanner Houck, that's great!  But I'm also cool bolstering the farm, going to war with this team, and worrying about the rotation again in July.  What I don't want to do is get laser focused on Nico for a SP and end up regretting it because the options available at this 11th hour weren't the best.

Yeah I get you. I think ultimately you were talking more about 'what happens if we get him' and I was still stuck on 'let's not do this', which are two different conversations. If we sign Bregman, I certainly don't want some late February, everyone knows we're trying to dump Hoerner, trade just in the name of financial flexibility. 

Basically, if signing Bregman means our only way to a midseason starter is a Hoerner trade, I'd like to politely pass. If signing Bregman means we have to trade Hoerner right away, hard pass. 

[Stratos]

Altuve has been working out in LF the last few weeks:

Quote

Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Altuve has been working out in left field for the last two weeks, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Altuve would move to left field if the Astros re-sign Alex Bregman, but it sounds like he might see some action in the outfield whether Bregman is brought back or not. Espada added that while he won't commit to how many games Altuve will play in the outfield, it's "something that we are looking at to create some flexibility." Altuve, 34, has never played the outfield either at the major- or minor-league level.

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/astros-jose-altuve-already-working-out-in-left-field/

Edited February 6, 2025 by Stratos

[Stratos]

Hoyer signing Bregman then trading Nico for something like Cease (or King) + prospect would be crazy.  I don't think it happens but it could.   An NLCS of Dodgers vs Cubs could be a classic.

Nico for Cease or King would need to come with another player/prospect because of Nico's 2nd year.  King is a much bigger risk than Cease obviously because of the lack of track record.  I think the Cubs would want Cease.

Edited February 6, 2025 by Stratos

[CubinNY]

It's the Sporting News so take it with a pinch, but there is speculation that instead of Nico the Cubs would put Suzuki on the block to trade. I think I like that better.

[BigbadB]

3 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

It's the Sporting News so take it with a pinch, but there is speculation that instead of Nico the Cubs would put Suzuki on the block to trade. I think I like that better.

I saw three names tossed around, with Hoerner, Suzuki and Taillon all mentioned. 

[Rcal10]

4 minutes ago, BigbadB said:

I saw three names tossed around, with Hoerner, Suzuki and Taillon all mentioned. 

I was thinking Suzuki as well. Which opens up the Phillies as a possibility. Also allows the Cubs to take on a higher contract back. I would be shocked if Taillon is used in a trade. Gives them even less pitching and makes no sense. But is the offense better with Bregman for Suzuki? No! So they better improve the staff. 

[thawv]

7 hours ago, Stratos said:

Hoyer signing Bregman then trading Nico for something like Cease (or King) + prospect would be crazy.  I don't think it happens but it could.   An NLCS of Dodgers vs Cubs could be a classic.

Nico for Cease or King would need to come with another player/prospect because of Nico's 2nd year.  King is a much bigger risk than Cease obviously because of the lack of track record.  I think the Cubs would want Cease.

SD is not looking to take back salary.  They are in dump mode.  

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, thawv said:

SD is not looking to take back salary.  They are in dump mode.  

Agreed. That is the problem the Cubs will run into. They want a starting pitcher if they sign Bregman. They also want to lower the team salary. There are teams that would take Nico or Suzuki in a trade but they want to dump salary as well. Mariners could use either. That won’t work. As you said, SD is dumping salary. That won’t work. Maybe the Yankees or Phillies can work something out. I still like Schmidt. Cheap and could be a very good #3. Yankees also have 6 starters. I also like Sanchez of the Phillies. I would love a Mariners started (not Castillo), but don’t see that working. 

[BigbadB]

I just don't see why it can't be sign Bregman and call it an offseason. Don't trade anyone. Defer whatever amount necessary to stay within the cap, because the tax penalty is probably 2 or 3 times more costly than the deferred amount. And then you have a premium player like Shaw getting a bit more time in AAA, a beneficial upgrade to the roster by keeping Hoerner.

I get having clean books and all, but if you are only deferring what amounts to a middle reliever/back end of the rotation salary, so what?