Alex Bregman signed with the Cubs and this is legit a brain puzzler. I’m gobsmacked! I’m besides myself and the me next to me is wearing the Riddler’s leotards with question marks all over them. I’ve been hoodwinked and bamboozled! C’mon, thesaurus, lay on me another one! I’m speechless. Here: Uhh. Dot dot dot. What? I don’t understand. So, like what does this do for Matt Shaw? Michael Busch? Nico Hoerner? Ian Happ? How does one new bat clog up an entire lineup? It’s fine for Alex Bregman. Cubs just gave him a huge deal; they’re not about to platoon him. How does this affect literally everyone else in their lineup? If I were the Cubs, I’d start by trading Matt Shaw to the Pirates for Jared Jones or trade him to the Padres for their entire farm system. No, he’s not worth that much, but I’m just saying that’s how the Padres do trades. “Hey, Padres, you want (insert non-Padres player)? Then give us everyone in your farm system.” As it stands, Shaw is the odd man out, but this, pardon the phrasing, clogs up Busch. This might move Hoerner down in the lineup, which is not where he should be. It might step on Moises Ballesteros’s at-bats too. Already gave you a Matt Shaw sleeper, but I’m gonna have to lower his projections in my rankings (Available already on the Patreon), if the Cubs don’t move someone before Opening Day.
As for Bregman, he is one of the most predictable players for stats. It doesn’t mean he’s excellent; it just means you should know what to expect. He’s a 150 game, 25 homer, .260 hitter with almost zero speed. If he has a fluke injury and only plays 114 games like last year, he’s exactly the same as every other year, minus the stats he would’ve accumulated in the other 36 games. If you want a good laugh, look at Bregman’s 2019. Only one who can’t find humor in that is Gleyber. 2026 Projections: 87/26/77/.263/3 in 591 ABs. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this offseason for 2026 fantasy baseball:
Psyche! All of my 2026 fantasy baseball rankings are on the Patreon. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out later this month. Anyway II, the roundup:
Jake McCarthy – Traded to the Rockies. You know what time it is, right? It’s time for Jake McCarthy to have a huge year, then become absolute dog crap for the rest of his career. Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle showed you the way, now go forth. 2026 Projections: 43/9/41/.260/16 in 416 ABs
Michael Toglia – Signed by the Reds. El oh el. Of course! Nothing the Reds love more than very passable corner men. (I saw someone’s write-up about Toglia and they called him a fascinating lottery ticket. Easy there. Fascinating is Neil deGrasse Tyson; this shizz is a shrug.)
Max Kepler – Busted for a PEDs-related suspension. Oof. Bless his heart for how awful he’d be without PEDs. Lots of 77-MPH grounders to the pitcher. Unless I heard wrong and it was a Pez-related suspension. Last time there was one of those, Norm Cash showed up at a game with a JFK Pez dispenser. Very poor taste with how JFK’s head goes back to give you candies.
The Marlins should trade Sandy for Shaw and Wiggins hehe. Lol. I wish.
I Dislike this signing…..Look what happened to Paredes in Chitown……left is deep there..
Yeah, could knock down his power a little…hate what it does for Shaw and Hoerner
Much higher playing time risks now. They will get drafted lower though so if you want to gamble late that Bregman gets hurt it won’t cost you as much or maybe they all stay fresh and hit well. I feel like Baseball is such a in or out of the rhythm game for hitters though. Maybe a trade will happen.
Yeah, for Shaw’s sake I hope he’s traded…Can’t rely on Bregman getting hurt unfortunately
Grey the White!
Funniest post I read all weekend about Kepler – “This should help all the PED guys trying to get into the Hall of Fame case.” Brilliant!
Still crossing my fingers on Bellingers landing spot. I have three shares in Dynasties where I nabbed him last year after signing with NYY and it worked out perfect! You see him landing anywhere that he could still hold value?
Thanks! I don’t imagine Cody going to a lot of places where he’d lose value, outside of Seattle or Texas
Jared Jones for Shaw makes too much sense. What are the odds that Cherington reads your article?
Haha, hmm…maybe 25%?
Morning Grey, pardon my impatience but when top 100 for patreon?!?
Aiming for tomorrow
cant wait, we appreciate you!
Appreciate you!
AL Only auction League, 11 Team, $270 Auction, 10 P 14 H, can keep 12 guys
Langeliers $16 2 years
Soderstrom $11 2 years
J Pena $22 1 year
C Simpson $5 2 years
L Butler $8 1 year
K Carpenter $7 1 year
T Skubal $12 1 Year
S Baz $6 1 Year
The above list is 8 players that I am for sure keeping
Who do I keep from the following? I can keep 4 additional Players
Basallo $10 2 years
Sal Perez $23 2 years
Jose Ramirez $50 1 year
Tanner Bibee $13 1 year
Zebby Matthews $2 2 years
Jeff Hoffman $17 2 years
Seth Lugo $10 1 year
This league has about 25% inflation and is a STUDS League with high $$ going to the studs
Thank You for all your help!
Jose Ramirez, Basallo, then you can flip two coins…I guess Hoffman and Bibee
Only the Cubs can spend an additional $35 mil a season, and pick up an extra win, over the previous lineup. Why not just move Shaw to the 2 spot, get 20 points less in avg. and obp.?…… Well at least the Twins didn’t sign him for $400 mil over 10 years and say “see, we are trying”.
Yeah, I think the Cubs spending money is good, but on a 3rd baseman is odd. Maybe Shaw is about to be traded
Yeah, it really looks like they are wasting a good cheap prospect with years of team control. The fact I own him in an NL only keeper league has nothing to do with my assessment.
He’s good too! I don’t get it
There is a politics angle with Shaw. Not going to post it here because I hate politics, but maybe he rubbed somebody in management the wrong way.
I highly doubt it, tbh…The Ricketts have same politics
Shaw is a great kid,too.
That last sentence may be the darkest, funniest sentence you’ve ever written. Too soon?
Haha, thanks!
The homers could take a hit as Wrigley is typically not favorable to RH pull hitters. So maybe he hits closer to 20 homers now.
Statcast says one fewer HR in Wrigley, based on prior year stats. WAR is about the same as Shaw. (Shaw had a better defensive WAR) $34 million extra to have Bregman over Shaw. Dumb!
Yeah, it kinda makes no sense
Statcast also says Bregman was the better defender. Defensive metrics are inconsistent at best, which means war is too.
Yeah
Glenallen Hill would like a word
(go search for that homer video)
One of the best!
I still can’t believe he hit the ball on top of the roof
I know, ha
Houston was a great place for righties and it didn’t do much for him (except in 2019), but Fenway didn’t hurt him either, so I think he’s just sorta who he is
Writers and fans in Boston are practically in a eulogistic fervor over Bregman’s departure. There’s talk of fan mutiny as they weep into Boston Lagers. The funny thing is the Red Sox winning % with Bregman on the IL was .568. It was .549 with him in the lineup.
Why not go after Skubal? Hmmm. 8 years 340 million for Skubal, and dump Shota’s $22 million. You saved money, and got an ace.
Everyone should be in on Skubal, sadly he’s going to the Dodgers prolly
Good call. The Dodgers do not need minor league teams. They just buy the best players every year.
Ha, yup!
That’s okay, the Red Sox just signed a star 3rd baseman to a huge deal in 2023…Oh wait