Cubs' potential fallback option to Alex Bregman signs one-year deal with the Angels

It feels like it's Alex Bregman or bust for the Chicago Cubs in terms of an external third-base signing. Days after it was reported the team has a 'creative' four-year offer with opt-outs on the table, a potential backup plan came off the board with Yoan Moncada signing a one-year, $5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Moncada, 29, was once one of the game's most coveted prospects and was a centerpiece in the ill-fated Chris Sale trade back in 2016. That deal has only looked worse with time for the Chicago White Sox, with none of the guys who came back from Boston finding any sort of sustained success with the club.

For a while there, it looked like Moncada was going to blossom into the superstar most anticipated he'd be at the time of the trade. Heading into the 2017 season, he was a consensus top-5 prospect in the game and his coming-out party in 2019 was spectacular: 5.2 bWAR, a .315/.367/.548 slash line, and a 140 OPS+ in just 132 games.

After a quiet year in the shortened 2020 campaign, Moncada went right back to work and, while he wasn't quite as impressive as in 2019, he was still a high-quality piece with 4.0 bWAR and 116 OPS+ for the South Siders. Since then, though, the wheels aren't all that's come off. He's looked like a complete wreck, totaling 1.8 bWAR over the last three years - which has consisted of a total of just 208 games and an 89 OPS+ to go with middling defensive marks.

The Sox buying out his option for 2025 was a no-brainer, but given his relative age and not-too-distant track record of some solid production, he drew some mentions as a potential depth piece to cover the Cubs at the hot corner. According to one report, that wasn't just speculation - the Cubs reportedly had a one-year, $3 million offer out to Moncada, although we're unclear when. Given the progression of recent Bregman rumors, it may very well have been earlier in the offseason.

All signs point to Chicago either having Bregman at third come Opening Day or giving top prospect Matt Shaw to claim the job should Bregman land elsewhere. Moncada was an intriguing, low-cost backup plan, but with him off the board, the Cubs' potential avenues to address third base - or at least add some depth - have narrowed by one.