Cubs Rumors: Scott Boras doing damage control after dropping the ball on Pete Alonso

Well, that didn't take long. The combination of Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs rumors reaching a boiling point in recent days and slugger Pete Alonso falling well short of expectations in free agency, it sure sounds like Scott Boras is burning the candle at both ends, trying to limit the potential fallout.

We haven't heard from Boras personally, but it's curious that just over 12 hours after Alonso's return to Queens on a two-year, $56 million deal surfaced, Bob Nightengale dropped this.

There are a few ways you can read this. 1) Boras is out there looking to breathe life into a Bregman market that seems to have quickly fizzled out of late, with the Boston Red Sox reportedly pivoting to Nolan Arenado and Houston Astros GM Dana Brown referring to Bregman in the past tense in some public remarks. That's left the Cubs as the apparent front-runner, with a 'creative' four-year offer out to the Gold Glove third baseman.

Or 2) Bregman remains insistent that he's worth more than what he's currently being offered, which, frankly, is his prerogative. He put in the work to reach this point and it could very well be one of the last chances he has in his career to get a life-altering payday. That being said, as we just saw with Alonso - you and your agent can think you're worth more all you want, but that doesn't mean the market agrees or that you'll end up getting what you're shooting for.

The Cubs are showcasing a ton of creative thinking of late, exploring adding Bregman and keeping the roster as-is and also seeing what trades might be out there to help them potentially offset a Bregman contract. The likely man on the move is second baseman Nico Hoerner, who is set to earn $11.5 million this season under the three-year extension he signed in March 2023. That would open up second base for top prospect Matt Shaw, who profiles similarly to Hoerner in terms of skillset.

Chicago isn't going to six or seven years for Bregman, who turns 31 in March - so if that's the line in the sand, the Cubs will likely head into camp with Shaw penciled in at third and Hoerner at second. Already favorites in the division in preseason projections, Bregman would immediately make the team a leading contender in the National League. But, at least for a little while longer, it seems we'll be waiting on some resolution here.