MESA, Ariz. — Jameson Taillon paused for a few seconds, digesting the question.
Third baseman Alex Bregman lingers on the free-agent market as major-league pitchers and catchers report to spring training this week. Two of his former Houston Astros teammates have new homes with the Chicago Cubs, making them a naturally intriguing destination given the lack of an established player at Bregman’s position and how he could boost the organization’s quest to win the division and return to the postseason.
Taillon was asked if the presence of slugger Kyle Tucker and veteran reliever Ryan Pressly has led to the recruitment of Bregman, who would give the Cubs more proven production at third base where top prospect Matt Shaw begins camp as the front-runner to win the job.
“I don’t know about recruiting, but I know those guys speak very highly of them, and I’ve definitely heard them communicate that out loud,” Taillon said Tuesday. “I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes as far as recruiting. Obviously, he’s an incredible player. Just getting these guys from Houston, like, that team went on a crazy run for a lot of years. … I think that’s pretty cool to add to this room, just winners, people who expect to win. And again, that kind of goes back to voicing expectations and stuff, like, these guys want to win and obviously Bregman has been a big part of that team.”
Taillon remembers being on the receiving end of Bregman’s ability to seize the moment. In a June 2022 start against the Astros in New York, Yankees fans raucously booed Bregman during his first-inning at-bat, a regular occurrence at Yankee Stadium following the revelation of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. As the boos rained down, Bregman took Taillon deep for a three-run home run.
“It seemed like any time they were getting booed really loudly, he always came through,” Taillon said. “A guy who’s played in big moments, he’s a championship player, would deepen our lineup, he’s got great at defense at third base, so I don’t know where things stand with all that but obviously he’s a great player, he has tons of awards and accomplishments in this game.”
Sign up for our Cubs Insider newsletter
The price will have to be right for the Cubs to commit to Bregman, and that would almost certainly mean a contract that is not the type of long-term deal the 30-year-old has been seeking. The Cubs are approximately $31 million under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold for 2025. They can afford to wait out the situation similarly to how they handled Cody Bellinger’s free agency last offseason, ultimately signing him to a three-year deal with two opt-outs in late February when spring training was underway.
Pressly spent six seasons in Houston with Bregman and considers him one of his buddies, describing the two-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner as a special guy, adding the Astros organization would echo that sentiment. Pressly said he would love to see Bregman join him and Tucker in Chicago.
Pressly, though, has kept his conversations with Bregman centered more around asking how he’s doing and what he’s hearing versus telling him to come to the Cubs. He knows Bregman must make the best decision for himself and his family, but “would I like to play with him? 1,000%.”
“He’s super competitive, he wants to win, and it doesn’t matter what it’s at,” Pressly said Tuesday. “He wants to be that guy and to have him in this clubhouse would be pretty special. … Having more guys in the clubhouse who have been there and done it rolls off onto the younger guys, and it shows a winning tradition. And when you can have that in the clubhouse, you start to build on it.
“Whatever happens with Breggy, I’m always going to support him no matter what. I just hope I can support him in the same clubhouse.”
Originally Published:
