Image via Kat Pressly X account.

The Rundown: Pressly Addition Nearly Completes Hoyer’s Offseason, Bregman Still Not a Fit, Remaining Free Agents Getting Antsy

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJanuary 27, 2025

Good morning and welcome to Houston North, where the Cubs are accumulating Astros castoffs at the rate of about one per month. Is Alex Bregman next? That depends on whether Jed Hoyer will exceed the $241 million payroll tax threshold, surrender his second and fifth-round picks this year, and lose $1 million in IFA bonus pool allocation next year. Phew. Would you trade all that for Bregman if he was currently under contract? I would because flags fly forever.

That’s making the assumption that the addition of Bregman puts the Cubs on the same playing field as the Dodgers, which it does not. The trade bringing Pressly to Chicago inches the Cubs a little closer to 88 wins. Bregman would put them in the 91-93 win range, but the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. Jack Flaherty and David Robertson would be an upgrade compared to Bregman, pushing Chicago closer to 92-94 wins by filling bigger needs and saving Hoyer $6-10 million in cash plus a small handful of assets. That win total is still shy of projections coming out of Los Angeles, but it leaves the Cubs wiggle room just in case.

I know fans want Bregman, but signing him goes against everything else Hoyer has done since replacing Theo Epstein. I say that without mentioning the obligatory Nico Hoerner trade to offset some of the cash and open up a position for Matt Shaw. There’s also the matter of paying Pressly, even with the cash Houston is sending Chicago. Flaherty reportedly hasn’t had an offer, so his price has to come down. Roberston might be a tougher fit financially if Hoyer wants both, so the reliever is a better fit based on need.

The Cubs are so deep that I like to call them Los Angeles Lite. They just lack the Dodgers’ star power, but they make it up with youth and promise. That makes Bregman kind of an odd fit when you think about it. Long story short, the free-agent third baseman is a pipe dream, and it’s time to come back to reality.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

Tom Ricketts can be disingenuous and may not be popular, but he doesn’t deserve this.

Ed. note: After I quoted the above tweet saying parents should not used their kids for clout in this manner, the dad in question got upset and direct messaged me. Dude thought I made money off my tweets, which is objectively hilarious.

Central Intelligence

Monday Stove

Flaherty admitted that the lack of interest in his services has surprised him, but he also said that his agent has been speaking with the Tigers.

Bregman reportedly regrets rejecting Houston’s $156 million offer. He really doesn’t have a whole lot of options, so he may end up back with the Astros.

If the free-agent third baseman can’t find the deal he wants, perhaps he should contact the Dodgers.

Steve Cohen is leaving the door open but thinks the Mets will move on without signing Pete Alonso.

Cohen’s brutal assessment of Alonso’s situation could be in violation of the CBA ($), per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Ricketts isn’t the first owner to claim his team is simply trying to break even. Raise your hand if you’re looking forward to the next CBA negotiations.

Players are concerned that ownership groups — other than the Dodgers and Mets — are becoming too risk-averse to sign free agents to long-term contracts. The Twins, Cardinals, Padres, and Marlins have yet to sign a single major league free agent.

On the other hand, Los Angeles is so good on paper that it could potentially be a playoff team using just its reserves.

Extra Innings

Welcome to Chicago!

They Said It

  • “[The fans] think somehow we have all these dollars that the Dodgers have or the Mets have or the Yankees have, and we just keep it. Which isn’t true at all. What happens is we try to break even every year, and that’s about it.” – Ricketts
  • “I don’t talk to [Craig] every day, but I talk to him a lot in the offseason. He’s very involved. There’s nothing that we’re doing that he’s not aware of. He can read [on Slack] all the time, and we talk a few times a week about what’s going on and obviously more often if we’re close to a transaction. Obviously, with Craig, he has more interest in that part of the game, and he gives really good insights. His instincts for transactions are really good. Sometimes, I’ll even call him on a negotiating question — ‘How should I play this?’ He’s a very bright person and has been around. And he makes us better.” – Hoyer
  • “You want [relievers] back there that, when you’ve worked toward a win, and you’ve got three outs to go, you feel really good about getting it. I would put [that concept] to the last three innings of [a] game.” – Counsell

Monday Walk-Up Song

Teddy Swims is a new favorite, and his latest album just dropped. Let me know what you think

Ed note: I love it when it feels like the song/artist choice is speaking directly to me. I’ve seen Teddy Swims live four times and have gotten to take each of my kids to shows with VIP meet-and-greets where he hugs and speaks to every single person there. Tremendous talent and a really good dude. Really cool to see him go from playing tiny venues to getting major international acclaim. For what it’s worth, I prefer I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) over this latest drop, but there are still some bangers here.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJanuary 27, 2025
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