Cubs $175M Alex Bregman contract decision called best move of 2026

There were plenty of great moves made this offseason and during the 2026 season by the trade deadline. But the Chicago Cubs' roster move for one player might be the best.

While Pete Crow-Armstrong has dominated headlines for the right reasons, and the Cubs' rotation has dominated them for the wrong reasons, Alex Bregman has flown under the radar a bit for how good he's been with the Cubs.

ESPN's Jeff Passan called the $175 million contract for Bregman the "transaction of the year," thanks to how well Bregman has integrated into the Cubs' lineup and his second-half breakout.

Cubs' Alex Bregman signing called best transaction of 2026

"Transaction of the year: Alex Bregman," Passan writes. "... Bregman opted out of that deal, and while the market was kinder, the industry thought the Cubs wildly overpaid when they gave him five years and  $175 million over the winter."

The five-year, $175M deal was dubbed an overpay at the time. But Bregman has proven those doubters wrong, though it did take some time to do so.

He posted a .689 OPS through July, and there was some real worry about whether he'd be the kind of contributor the Cubs could rely on.

But, since the beginning of August, Bregman has been on a tear. Across 46 games and 176 at-bats, Bregman has 15 home runs, 42 RBIs, 21 walks, just 23 strikeouts, a .295 batting average, and a 1.006 OPS.

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Unfortunately, Bregman was hit in the head by a foul ball and will miss some time, with a return in the postseason possible.

But the Cubs' decision to give him a five-year deal looks like an incredible one after Bregman's late-season resurgence.

While Bregman won't post a 1.006 OPS for the rest of that five-year deal, if he is around an .800 OPS hitter with good defense at third base, this signing will be quite the move for the Cubs as they try to make another World Series run.

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