Alex Bregman’s bust-to-bonanza year wins Chicago Cubs accolades

The Chicago Cubs are getting some major accolades for an offseason deal that many said was proving to be a major bust. As a matter of fact, that very same deal is now being hailed as “Transaction of the Year” by a respected industry insider.

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Up until the middle of July, signing third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million contract starting in his age-32 year seemed like it was panning out very poorly. Although it was expected that the three-time All-Star would be diminished and past his prime in the last couple years of the deal, in many eyes, he was showing signs of significant decline in his very first year with the team.

That was a troubling possibility, especially considering that the team had passed over the 24-year-old Matt Shaw to give Bregman the gig at third.

But to his great credit, Bregman grinded his way to a turnaround—and what a turnaround it was.

Bregman goes from bust to bonanza

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From the end of July to the facial fractures this past Sunday, caused by a foul ball off the bat of Michael Busch, Bregman has arguably been the second best player in all of baseball behind teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong. Since the All-Star break, he’s slashing .296/.378/.600 with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs. On the season, he’s hitting .262 with 26 homers and 89 RBIs.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently named the Bregman signing as “Transaction of the Year” in his annual awards article.

Per Passan:

“…The industry thought the Cubs wildly overpaid when they gave him five years and $175 million over the winter. Even if the $70 million in deferred money took the value of the deal closer to $132 million, Bregman was 32 and, many believed, past his prime. And for the season’s first four months, they weren’t wrong.

Where Bregman excels most is not necessarily on the field, though. It’s tearing through video. It’s working on his swing. It’s putting in the requisite time to get himself right. The breakthrough finally happened in August, and in the time since, Bregman has been the second-best player in baseball behind his teammate Crow-Armstrong. The power is back. The strikeouts are practically nonexistent. His season OPS, at .689 entering August, is now over .800. And thanks to the tweaks he made at the plate, it’s the sort of thing Bregman can replicate and continue.”

And one also has to take into account his stellar defense at third and his much-acknowledged leadership in the clubhouse.

A contract worth its weight

It’s not likely that Bregman will keep up this torrid pace of excellence throughout the rest of his Cubs contract, but nobody’s really expecting that. Two or three great years followed by a solid, steady presence the rest of the way would be enough to make the contract a success story.

For now, though, the concern is his injury and whether the facial fractures and swollen eye will heal enough for him to play in the postseason.

Bregman is optimistic that he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

“Thanks for all the messages y’all,” he told fans via social media update. “I’ll be back.”

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