Surprise Alex Bregman contender now threatens to derail the Cubs' offseason

Since the Winter Meetings, there's a general sense that the Chicago Cubs have been looking for any way to reel in third baseman Alex Bregman after missing out last offseason. The biggest obstacle to that pursuit has been Boston. Reports initially had it that Craig Breslow and company were dead set on re-upping with the star hitter after he opted out of their deal to begin the offseason. That recently changed when prominent Red Sox content creator Jared Carrabis said that a reunion between the sides "Doesn't sound promising at the moment."

With perhaps the most aggressive suitor not looking nearly as aggressive as expected, that seemed like good news for the Cubs. It's still not going to be easy, with Kiley McDaniel recently updating his projections for Bregman at ESPN to a five or six-year deal at around $170 million, but the paths for Bregman to Chicago looked clearer. However, an unexpected suitor may be making a play now.

Multiple reports are now saying the Arizona Diamondbacks have interest in Bregman. At first glance, it seems like an odd fit. Currently, they have third base locked up by young former top prospect Jordan Lawlar and second base manned by superstar Ketel Marte. However, there have been rumors aplenty about Marte being a coveted name on the trade market, including by Boston. If they are determined to ship him off, Bregman could make sense to take over third while Lawlar slides over to fill the hole left at second.

It wouldn't be a shock for the Diamondbacks to come out of the woodwork and make a big splash. Just last offseason, they emerged as the surprise winner of the Corbin Burnes sweepstakes and have, frankly, shown more interest in throwing their financial might around lately than the Cubs when it comes to big free agents and extensions. There's a real possibility they prefer to have Bregman over Marte right now, and these recent reports are part of an effort to get talks on the latter moving.

However, given that Bregman is a Scott Boras client, and Jon Heyman is one of the reporters linking Arizona to the third baseman, there's always a possibility this is getting out to the media to spur one of Bregman's suitors to blink. After all, a recent report confirmed Boras reached out to the Mariners about their interest, even if they're not that serious about a pursuit. There may be hope that even the threat of the Diamondbacks having the flexibility to sign Bregman after a Marte trade spurs other teams to up their offer.

Under Jed Hoyer, the Cubs certainly won't be that team to jump. Then again, nobody has looked that eager to wade into his market so far.

Losing out on Bregman again could ruin the Cubs' plans

These reports aren't a concern yet, but they do indicate that the Bregman market likely isn't quite where Boras and the third baseman want it to be. The question now is whether that reluctance from teams, including the Cubs, is spurring the Diamondbacks to get involved or if it's more about pressure. If it's the former, then Marte's fate is suddenly far more important to how the offseason plays out in Chicago. Even if Boston were content to trade for the infielder and let Bregman walk, Arizona would then be there to scoop him up and leave the Cubs high and dry.

Considering where the Cubs are in their pitching pursuits — reportedly capping themselves on Michael King and lurking in the Tatsuya Imai race — whether they land Bregman or not could go a long way in determining whether this is a successful offseason or not. Coming off another solid offensive season in which he hit .273/.360/.462/125 wRC+ in 114 games, he may be their best bet at replacing some of the production that will be lost with Kyle Tucker's departure. They need to ensure that this time, if they're not going to meaningfully look at other bats, interest turns into results.