The Cubs landed **Alex Bregman** on a five-year, **$175 million deal** Saturday night, creating one of baseball’s more interesting reunion stories.
Bregman will team up with **Dansby Swanson** on Chicago’s left side of the infield. That’s significant for a reason that goes back nearly a decade.
In the **2015 MLB Draft**, Arizona took Swanson first overall out of Vanderbilt. Houston grabbed Bregman with the very next pick out of LSU.
Here’s where it gets good: Bregman’s worn **No. 2** throughout his career specifically to remember that draft position. Every time he puts on the uniform, it’s a reminder that he went second, not first.
Now he gets to play right next to the guy who was the reason he didn’t go first.
It can’t be that often that the top two picks from any draft end up as teammates, let alone playing side-by-side in an infield. The timing makes it even better – Swanson’s entering his **fourth season** with the Cubs in 2025, so he’s established himself as a cornerstone piece.
Bregman certainly can’t have any lingering feelings about that draft order. Things worked out pretty well for him in Houston – he’s got **two World Series rings** and made himself into one of baseball’s premier third basemen.
The Cubs are betting that pairing these two former draft rivals will help bring a championship to Wrigley Field. At 31, Bregman’s still in his prime, and the contract takes him through his age-35 season.
What makes this partnership intriguing is how different their paths have been since 2015. Swanson bounced from Arizona to Atlanta before finding his home in Chicago. Bregman spent his entire career in Houston until now.
Both guys know how to perform when it matters. That’s exactly what the Cubs are counting on as they try to build around this left-side foundation.
