There's a dark horse NL MVP candidate in the Cubs infield - and it's not who you think

The arrival of Alex Bregman, coupled with the fact the 2025 Chicago Cubs fell just one win shy of an NLCS appearance, has excitement and expectations sky-high this spring. Bregman, a long-sought target of Jed Hoyer and the front office, brings a winning mentality, drastically improves a position of need and comes with a track record of success.

Many around the sport view the Bregman signing as the most impactful free-agent addition any team made this offseason - and it's not hard to see why. Adding Bregman to an infield that already featured one of the league's best double-play tandems in Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner (not to mention Gold Glovers Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ in the outfield) gives Chicago a good chance to lead the league defensively again in 2026.

But there's one man in the mix who continues to quietly fly under the radar: Cubs first baseman Michael Busch.

Busch, still just 28 years old, has flown under the radar as he's ascended the first base ranks - and his numbers last season speak for themselves. He set career-bests in almost every offensive category and trailed only Pete Alonso, now a member of the Baltimore Orioles, in wRC+ among MLB first basemen (140 wRC+).

Michael Busch has emerged as a big-time run producer for the Cubs

Not only did he put up big-time numbers during the regular season (34 home runs, 90 RBI, .866 OPS), but he showed up when it mattered most, carrying an OPS north of 1.110 in October. If he can trend positively defensively and further improve his WAR, there's a world where he becomes a sneaky NL MVP candidate.

I know, I know. Until further notice, Shohei Ohtani is the far-and-away frontrunner. Nobody is arguing that. And even if he went down with an injury, Juan Soto is the next man up. But with Bregman adding another dimension to the lineup, it's within the realm of possibility that Busch is a 40-homer, 30-double, 100+ RBI weapon lying in wait in the Cubs' lineup. And we can't forget - he's going to be playing pretty much every day, without the platoon setup the team has utilized in the past.

Sure, several things would have to break his way for this to come to fruition, but with all the attention garnered by PCA and Bregman, the league would be remiss to look past the slugging Chicago first baseman, who has become one of the game's most productive first basemen since joining the Cubs.