Cubs’ front office shift comes with a familiar Alex Bregman connection

We're still waiting for the Chicago Cubs to make their first big player move of the offseason, but the front office has seen its share of change already. Jared Banner departed to take over as GM in Baltimore and, more recently, Jared Kanzler took the Seattle Mariners' managerial job, opening up the farm director role in Chicago.

To backfill Kanzler's role, the Cubs are promoting from within, elevating Ben Martin, who spent the 2026 season as the team's assistant director of major-league development. He, more or less, was asked to stick on Alex Bregman's hip and help him work through a woeful first-half slump, while also assisting other hitters with their day-to-day prep.

Whatever he did, the results speak for themselves. Bregman flipped the switch and went on a second-half tear, earning All-MLB Second Team honors after finishing with 5.8 bWAR, 28 home runs and 93 runs batted in. He also brought home a Gold Glove at third base in the National League and is a Silver Slugger finalist as well.

Cubs' new farm director Ben Martin brings wide set of experiences to role

Martin is just 29 years old, but has worn a variety of hats during his time in the organization. He spent a year working at the team's complex in the Dominican Republic, was a hitting coach in Arizona, and also served as a coach at Class-A Myrtle Beach. The Cubs hope this wide range of experience gives him the knowledge and tools to succeed in this pivotal role in the front office.

“He’s extremely smart, extremely driven, extremely willing to do what he needs to do to help the team win," Cubs GM Carter Hawkins said this week. "When I think about a farm director, those types of qualities stand out, so I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat.”

Now, I know more than a few Cubs fans would argue that this organization has missed several beats in recent years, especially in the pitching development side of things, but it has created an NL MVP in Pete Crow-Armstrong and has always been steady in its pipeline of position player talent.

If Martin can help Chicago address that long-standing thorn in its side, he could soon find himself coveted by other organizations across baseball. After all, we've only been talking about the lack of homegrown impact arms for three decades. Is this the man to help the Cubs turn the corner? Let's hope so.

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