The Chicago Cubs were an exciting team to watch during the 2025 season. With Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong leading the way, the club finished the regular season with a record of 92-70.
That would be good enough for second place in the NL Central, with the Milwaukee Brewers being crowned the division champs. However, the Cubs were still able to make it into the postseason through the Wild Card.
They would go on to end the San Diego Padres season in the Wild Card, but would eventually be eliminated in the NLDS by the Brew Crew.
Since the season ended, the Cubs have been working diligently to bring in more firepower. And they certainly did that with their latest free-agent acquisition.
MORE: Cubs fans get incredible offseason news on spending plans after Alex Bregman signing
Cubs' Alex Bregman deal bolsters their spot in ESPN's latest MLB projection
Alex Bregman has been someone the Cubs have been high on for the last two seasons. They have tried to get him onboard with the club, but to no avail.
However, things are different now, as Bregman and the Cubs agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract.
With the signing, ESPN has a great deal of confidence in the Cubs. They rank them eighth, one spot above the Boston Red Sox, in their midwinter progress report.
"The signing of Bregman has turbocharged a Cubs offseason that really picked up momentum over the past week. Because the preliminary version of this Stock Watch included numbers run before the Bregman deal, I can report this: Chicago's outlook jumped by 1.3 wins in the simulations, their playoff odds went up nealry 6% and the title odds went up 1.1%. With the improvement, Chicago leapfrogged the Brewers as the current, way-too-early favorites in the NL Central."
The Bregman singing boosted the club's win projection total, helped improve their postseason odds, and their odds to win it all at the end of the season. The North Siders should feel very confident about where their team sits at this point during the offseason.
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