MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs’ underwhelming offer to Alex Bregman does not bode well for their chances of signing Kyle Tucker to a long-term deal.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer did not enter the spin zone after Bregman chose the Boston Red Sox, reaching an agreement on a three-year, $120 million deal that includes opt-outs after each season and a significant amount of deferred money.
Hoyer made it clear to reporters that Bregman, an All-Star third baseman, was deemed a “significant exception” by the Ricketts family, owners of the Cubs and Wrigley Field. The $28.75 million average annual value earmarked for a potential Bregman deal will not be automatically rolled over into this year’s budget for baseball operations.
The Cubs’ next moves are expected to be very modest, league sources said, and that conservative outlook includes Tucker, Bregman’s longtime teammate with the Houston Astros. The Cubs traded for Tucker in December with an understanding that the All-Star outfielder would likely explore his options as a free agent after this season.
“You never know how the future’s going to play out,” Tucker said Friday after his first formal workout with his new team. “You just try to take it one day at a time. Whatever happens later happens. But right now, I’m a Chicago Cub. I’m excited to be here. I’m trying to win games for the Cubbies.”
In a pivotal year, the Cubs are currently more than $30 million beneath the $241 million luxury-tax threshold, according to FanGraphs’ estimates, a projected payroll that places them in the middle of Major League Baseball’s 30 clubs.
“That’s our goal, to get to the World Series and win … we want to come out and win games and play at a high level and have a lot of fun doing it.”
Kyle Tucker wants to continue having postseason success in Chicago 👀 pic.twitter.com/TNi9S8Y9UZ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 14, 2025
While there is some wiggle room for in-season moves — and the organization has a track record of being aggressive at the trade deadline in potential playoff seasons — Hoyer confirmed that the Cubs are already very close to ownership’s 2025 budget for baseball operations.
The Cubs were not willing to go to a fifth year for Bregman, limiting their offer to four years and $115 million, a concept that realistically would not get a deal done. Bregman had already turned down a six-year, $156 million deal to return to the Astros, and the Detroit Tigers topped that with a six-year offer worth about $171 million.
“Breggy is, first and foremost, one of the best guys that you can have on a team, and one of the best players in the league,” Tucker said. “Any team would be lucky to have a person like that. Obviously sad that I’m not going to be able to play with him this year. But you never know what the future holds.
“I wasn’t trying to sway him one way or another. That’s a personal decision — and a lot of business stuff that goes into it — but I would have loved to have him.”
For context, Hoyer revealed that the baseball operations department had essentially reached last year’s budget before Cody Bellinger signed a three-year, $80 million contract in late February. Sensing an opportunity, the Ricketts family authorized the Bellinger deal, which helped push the Cubs toward a top-10 payroll.
The Cubs wound up paying the luxury tax on a payroll of almost $240 million, according to the Associated Press, an investment that dwarfed the rest of the National League Central but fell far short of the sport’s biggest spenders.
Besides the $300 million payrolls supported by the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and New York Yankees, the Cubs also were not close to NL rivals such as the Atlanta Braves ($276 million) and Philadelphia Phillies ($264 million).
All these conditions make it highly unlikely that the Cubs will go all-out to try to sign Tucker to a long-term extension. Hoyer is in the final year of his own contract, and there is a potential lockout looming once the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season.
Each side can reassess after what the Cubs hope will be the return of October baseball to Wrigley Field. There will be more attention on one of the best all-around players in the game. But Tucker said the goal always remains the same: Win the World Series.
“I don’t try to take certain years or certain seasons any more or less than any others,” Tucker said. “Our goal every day is to show up and win games and perform at a high level and have fun while doing it. I don’t think there should be any more pressure or less pressure. No matter what kind of circumstance that you have, as a player, you should come out and win regardless.”
(Top photo: Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
