They shored up their bullpen by signing guys like Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb. They also made a trade with the Miami Marlins to acquire Edward Cabrera.

However, their biggest move of the offseason came recently when they signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal. He will now handle the left side of the infield along with Dansby Swanson, who played together during their college years for Team USA.

Cubs’ Dansby Swanson expects Alex Bregman to elevate his game

Dansby Swanson could not be happier that he will be teammates with Alex Bregman again. Outside of being teammates, the two are very familiar with each other as both played in the SEC and were the respective No. 1 and 2 overall picks in the 2015 MLB Draft.

Swanson expects the three-time All-Star to elevate his game, via The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney.

“Alex is somebody that I’ve admired for a long time. Who he is and how he plays and the things that he sees, I feel like my game could benefit more from playing with him than almost anyone else. That means literally zero disrespect to anyone I’ve played with. He just sees the game in such a certain way.”

Swanson loves how Bregman not only plays the game, but sees the game. Bregman is someone that Swanson believes “could challenge” him to be a better version of himself.

These comments should excite the fanbase. You always want guys who will push their teammates to continue to develop both on and off the field, and these two could be an exciting pair to watch in 2026.