Sep 20, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (2) runs to first base after hitting an rbi single against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck
Not that it ever appeared the Phillies were a legitimate contender for Alex Bregman, but if you were holding your breath on that front, you can exhale.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post was the first to report that Bregman reached a deal with the Chicago Cubs Saturday evening. ESPN's Jeff Passan says it's a five-year/$175 million pact, with Bob Nightengale of USA Today noting that it includes a full no-trade clause and has zero opt outs.
Bregman makes out much better in his second stint in free agency, although the three-year/$120 million deal he signed with the Boston Red Sox last winter was hardly a tough pill to swallow. He made a ton of money, posted an .821 OPS over 114 games, opted out and signed a megadeal entering his age-32 season. That's not bad.
However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has since reported that the deal includes $70 million in deferrals. The present-day value of the contract is "expected to be in range of $30M-$31M per season."
Before we knew of the deferrals it was a bit surprising that Bregman got that much more total money than Kyle Schwarber (five-year/$150 million deal with Phillies) and Pete Alonso (five-year/$155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles). Perhaps it still is to a degree, but less so with the deferrals.
Certainly, there's value in Bregman playing third base, as opposed to Alonso being an underwhelming first baseman and Schwarber basically just a DH at this point. But since the start of the 2020 season, Schwarber has 230 home runs and an .856 OPS, while Alonso has 211 home runs and an .841 OPS over that period. Bregman looked like a superstar early in his career with the Houston Astros, but since 2020, he's been more like a very good offensive player, with 110 home runs and a .799 OPS.
Bo Bichette was arguably already the top position player available in free agency, but he certainly is now that Bregman is off the board. Bregman might have been a better positional fit for the Phillies, but he'll play next season at 32 years old. Bichette will be 28 in March, and that four-year age gap is huge for a Phillies team with so many players at or approaching their mid-30s already, even if the Phillies would have to do some rearranging of their infield.
The Phillies are reportedly set to meet virtually with Bichette on Monday. We'll see if he's the next position player to come off the board in free agency, and whether this ends with Bichette in red pinstripes. Of course, with Bregman leaving Boston, the Red Sox might be more inclined to make a play for Bichette now.
