Cubs have nobody to blame but themselves for Alex Bregman signing with this development

Alex Bregman homered in the Chicago Cubs' victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, and it continued a trend that might be somewhat concerning moving forward. Bregman has struggled during his two and half months with the Cubs, admitting that he's been terrible, but there might be a specific reason for his issues.

The idea can be traced back to not last offseason, but the offseason before. The Cubs were in the mix to sign Bregman, but the veteran third baseman ultimately chose the Boston Red Sox. Boston's creative contract structure was the primary reason, but Scott Boras didn't shy away from questioning if Bregman's swing profile would play well at Wrigley Field.

With the Red Sox, and Houston Astros before that, Bregman was able to play wall ball with his pull approach. He doesn't have that benefit at Wrigley Field, and as fans look for cause behind his struggles this year, some are pointing to his home/road splits.

For reference, Bregman has 161 plate appearances at Wrigley Field this season, and 149 plate appearances on the road. In a vacuum, it would seem that the current splits do play up to the theory that surrounded Bregman before his Cubs' arrival. That being said, considering all of Bregman's road games aren't played at the same venue, it might be too niche of an argument to make.

The real reason for Alex Bregman's slow start with the Cubs

The argument also loses steam when you look at how Wrigley Field has played this season. For the most part, it's been neutral, registering a park factor score of 98. That's a tiny lean in favor of pitching, but not one that should be used to explain why Bregman has struggled at Wrigley Field this season.

Instead, CHGO's Brendan Miller may have identified the true reason for Bregman's slow start. Bregman hasn't been shy about admitting that his swing mechanics have been off this season. Comapring to his 2025 season, Miller's visual data would confirm Bregman's belief. Most importantly, it also notes that Bregman's swing profile in June has been very similar to the one he had with the Red Sox.

Through 40 plate appearances this month, there's not enough data to suggest that the correction in his swing will end his struggles. Of course, it's worth noting that Bregman looked considerably better against the Rockies in Colorado this week than he did during the Cubs' home games against the Athletics and San Francisco Giants.

It's too early to make a determination on Bregman's fit at Wrigley Field, and Miller's research should provide some added context in the weeks ahead. Regardless, if the Cubs are going to get their season back on track, it starts with Bregman.

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