As the Bears mounted a thrilling NFL postseason comeback Saturday night, the Cubs finalized the blockbuster free agency signing of Alex Bregman.
The 31-year-old seemingly wasted no time in celebrating his new deal, as his wife, Reagan, took to Instagram with a picture of a smiling Bregman shortly after the news of the five-year, $175 million pact, taking one of the premier bats in free agency off the board.
“Proud,” she wrote in the post bearing a heart emoji, showing Bregman toasting with a margarita.
Bregman’s decision to bolt Boston after just one season came down to two major factors: a no-trade clause and deferred payments in his contract, according to MassLive.
The Red Sox reportedly made a competitive offer, a five-year, $165 million deal, but a major sticking point was Boston’s refusal to include a full no-trade clause, which the Cubs did.
As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Sunday, Bregman’s deal with the Cubs will see $70 million of the $175 million deferred, which is expected to bring the contract’s annual value somewhere in the range of $30-$31 million.
Boston was interested in a similar arrangement, but MassLive noted that the Red Sox’s plan for the terms of deferrment was another holdup.
“The ball is in his court,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday, hours before the agreement was reported.
Bregman, who signed a three-year, $120 million deal with opt-outs after every season, hit the open market after just one year in Beantown.
The two-time World Series champion slashed a strong .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs in 2025, but was limited to 114 games due to a right quadriceps strain.
After spending his first nine seasons with the Astros, Bregman will now join his third team in three seasons – and pivot attention to remaining high-profile free agents Bo Bichette and Cody Bellinger.
Injury concerns aside, Bregman signifies a major boost for Chicago’s lineup – and marked a banner evening for Chicago sports.
In addition to the Bulls and Blackhawks winning their games, the Bears staged a dramatic 18-point comeback against the rival Packers during Saturday’s NFC wild-card matchup.
Bregman acknowledged the win, posting a “Da Bears” flag on his Instagram story.
Reports of Bregman’s signing emerged just before the Bears’ comeback, which made for an interesting night, according to Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins.
“It is interesting that you never do a deal on a Tuesday afternoon at 3 o’clock with everyone in the office,” Hawkins said Sunday on Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio, not addressing Bregman directly as the deal had yet to be made official. “It always feels like it’s a Saturday night, always feels like it’s your anniversary or some holiday or something going on in the city as it relates to the other sports teams.
“Look, we’re looking to add to our team, we’re looking to continue to put ourselves in position to play deep into October. Adding premium players is certainly a good way to do that and there’s a lot of really good options out there.”
