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Cubs acquiring Ryan Pressly may bring closure to Alex Bregman rumor

Jordan Campbell
Jordan Campbell

Cubbies Crib

Wild Card Series - Detroit Tigers v Houston Astros - Game 1 / Alex Slitz/GettyImages

A popular rumor that has gained traction for the Chicago Cubs is their reported interest in free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman.

Reports over the weekend confirmed the Cubs would love to add Bregman but only on a short-term deal. With Bregman reportedly already receiving one five-year offer from the Houston Astros earlier this offseason, and a similar offer on the table from the Detroit Tigers, it would seem that the Cubs, despite their love, may not be the frontrunners for Bregman.

In fact, the Cubs acquiring Ryan Pressly from the Astros may have pushed Bregman closer to a return to the Astros.

Bregman was the talk of the Astros' fan fest this past weekend when both Houston manager Joe Espada and second baseman Jose Altuve championed for the All-Star third baseman to return. Having already acquired Isaac Paredes from the Cubs earlier this season, if Bregman signs, Paredes would shift to second base with Altuve moving to left field.

That is why the financial element of the Pressly trade has a significance. Pressly is owed $14.5MM for the 2025 season with he Astros sending over $5.5MM. While signing Bregman would keep the Astros over the first tier of the luxury tax, clearing some of Pressly's money does work toward their goal of lowering payroll.

The Cubs likely can rule out Alex Bregman

Meanwhile, the Cubs still have money to use from the Cody Bellinger trade to the New York Yankees. Adding Pressly and likely another relief pitcher would leave the team approximately $10MM under the luxury tax for the 2025 season.

Short of the Astros' talks with Bregman falling through, it seems that the idea of the Cubs adding the veteran third baseman can be discarded. Even if a deal was not worked out with the Astros, the Tigers likely would be revisited considering it seems that Bregman and Scott Boras are looking for a deal with the most amount of years and money.

Jordan Campbell

Jordan Campbell

For nearly 15 years, Jordan has been a workhorse across the FanSided network - including being the inaugural site expert for Cubbies Crib, as well as a stop at Da Windy City as the site expert. In addition to returning to be a Co-Site Expert at Cubbies Crib, Jordan was previously the Site Expert at Bear Goggles On. In the years since, Jordan has joined FanSided's full-time team, serving as a staff writer for the MLB division. Jordan's work can be seen across the MLB division, including a consistent presence on our Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Tigers sites. Since 2010, Jordan has dedicated his craft to providing insightful commentary on all things Chicago sports, and he has enjoyed his venture into all things Major League Baseball.