New Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman framed his move to Wrigley Field in title-or-bust terms at the Jan. 15 introductory news conference, saying he picked jersey No. 3 with another championship in mind.
The two-time World Series winner finalized a five-year, $175 million contract with Chicago that includes full no-trade protection, after spending the bulk of his career with the Houston Astros and a season with the Boston Red Sox.
The deal is one of the richest ever for a Jewish baseball player, trailing Max Fried’s $218 million agreement with the New York Yankees in 2024.
Bregman, 31, has been public about his Judaism, from celebrating Chanukah with a Houston synagogue to drawing a Star of David on his cap during a 2023 playoff game in the weeks after Oct. 7.
He also appeared in a video featuring Jewish major leaguers urging fans to support Israel.
One of the Albuquerque native great-grandfathers left what is now Belarus to escape anti-Semitism and later embraced American sports culture.
Bregman helped Houston win World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 and announced last week that he will once again represent Team USA, rather than Team Israel, at the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Chicago has complemented the Bregman signing by trading with Miami for starter Edward Cabrera and adding relievers Phil Maton, Hoby Milner and Hunter Harvey to the pitching staff.
With those moves, the Cubs have drawn early recognition as a favorite in preseason projections and betting markets to top the NL Central in 2026.