The Cubs may have dodged a bullet by missing out on Alex Bregman in free agency

Going into the 2025 season, third base was a clear position of need for the Chicago Cubs, and Alex Bregman looked like the perfect fit for the team.

Bregman was by far the most talented third baseman on the market, and the Cubs were reportedly one of the final teams in contention to sign the former World Series champion. But Bregman himself later revealed that his decision came down to the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers, and the former inked him to a three-year deal worth $120 million.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Cubs fans, especially because Bregman would have made this year's potent offense even more deadly. Bregman appears to be tapping into the 2019 version of himself, when he finished second in AL MVP voting after smacking 41 home runs and 37 doubles that year. Through his first 51 games in 2025, the 31-year-old already has 17 doubles, 11 home runs, and a .299/.385/.553 slash line.

This free agent miss quickly looked like a clear failure for the Cubs. That is until Bregman exited Friday's game in Baltimore with a quad injury. After rounding first base on a single to left field, Bregman immediately called the trainers and limped off the field. Red Sox Manager Alex Cora called it a "significant injury" and an MRI showed that Bregman's right quad could keep him on the shelf for several weeks or months.

Although Bregman will probably be back this year, he experienced a similar injury in 2021 that kept him out for 2 1/2 months, nearly half of the season. Bregman is a leader that any team would be happy to have on their team and the Cubs missing out on him obviously wasn't ideal. But this injury is a reminder that Chicago may have avoided a $40 million mistake. Just as Bregman got hurt, Matt Shaw is emerging as a solid third baseman in Chicago.

Matt Shaw could be a cornerstone of the Cubs for years to come

Shaw's journey in MLB has only just begun, but he has looked like a capable MLB player over the last week. After returning from a month-long stint in Triple-A, Shaw has reached base in six of his last seven games, where he also has nine hits, five doubles, and two stolen bases.

The 23-year-old is also proving that he can handle more than just the routine plays at the hot corner, as he finished a pair of defensive games over Memorial Day weekend.

Shaw's emergence on both sides of the game mitigates the damage of losing out on Bregman, and his youth could provide the team with much more value over a longer period than Bregman ever could have at this point in his career.