The Chicago Cubs have agreed with free agent third baseman Alex Bregman on a five-year, $175 million deal, and the offer includes a key wrinkle that will interest both fans and pundits.
According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, a portion of Bregman’s new contract includes deferrals.
“Bregman becomes the latest Scott Boras client to hit the jackpot after opting out of a short-term, high-dollar arrangement. Combine this deal with the $40 million Bregman earned in his one season with the Boston Red Sox, and his total comes to six years, $215 million,” Rosenthal wrote.
“Deferrals lowered the present-day value of his Red Sox contract. The Cubs’ agreement also includes deferrals, paid out within a few years of the end of the deal, according to a source briefed on the details. Regardless, Bregman ended up with a better result than one he reportedly turned down with the Detroit Tigers last offseason — six years, $171.5 million.”
All-Star Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers helped make deferrals a bigger part of the discourse surrounding the sport. Still, Bregman’s deal also shows a trend that has been beneficial for veterans who Scott Boras represents.
“Other recent Boras clients to follow similar paths included third baseman Matt Chapman (one year, $18 million with the San Francisco Giants, then a six-year, $151 million extension); left-hander Blake Snell (one year, $32 million with the Giants, then five years, $182 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers); and first baseman Pete Alonso (one year, $30 million with the New York Mets, then five years, $155 million with the Baltimore Orioles),” Rosenthal wrote.
“Of those deals, only Snell’s included deferrals.”
It remains to be seen how Bregman will fare in Chicago, but it is clear that the Cubs were intent on bringing him to Wrigley.
