Free agent slugger Pete Alonso recently signed his offseason deal with the New York Mets after weeks of deliberation. With that in mind, Houston Astros free agent Alex Bregman is clearly the top free agent remaining. Out of all the names left on the market, Bregman is the only one who could land a deal north of $100 million.

The Chicago Cubs have been closely linked to the star infielder, but the rumors are that Chicago is only interested in offering him a deal for around two or three years. While this wasn’t what Bregman was initially looking for, it doesn’t seem like the worst idea at this point. Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently dropped a bombshell report that could spell bad news for the Cubs.

“Free agent third baseman Alex Bregman still has no interest in a short-term contract and seeks a 6- or 7-year deal,” Nightengale wrote in a post to X/Twitter. If Bregman is only interested in a six or seven-year contract, the Cubs will either have to change their offer or drop out of the race.

This development swings the door wide open for the Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers to swoop in and steal him. While it’s unlikely that anybody has offered Bregman a deal as long as seven years, that could quickly change.

Over the last week or so, the Cubs and Astros have been the top two teams in the headlines with Bregman, but everything seems to be reset given this drastic report from Nightengale.