Alex Bregman to Wear Number 3 Per Official Signing Announcement
There’s not much else to say right now regarding the Alex Bregman deal, especially after this morning’s Rundown, so I’ll let the media release do the work. The only really notable aspect about Bregman’s signing being made official is that he’ll change his jersey number to 3 since Nico Hoerner is wearing 2 already. Though the gesture may seem small, I see this as a tremendous sign of both leadership and deference.
It’s also a great way to signify this new chapter in his career. Good for Bregman.
The Chicago Cubs today agreed to terms with infielder Alex Bregman on a five-year major league contract. The Cubs 40-man roster currently stands at 39 players. He will wear uniform number 3 and will be introduced to the media at a press conference at Wrigley Field on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. In addition, Bregman is expected to attend Cubs Convention this weekend in Chicago.
Bregman, 31, is a career .272 hitter (1,250-for-4,590) with 293 doubles, 18 triples, 209 home runs, 725 RBI, 43 stolen bases and an .846 OPS in 1,225 career games, with the Houston Astros (2016-24) and Boston Red Sox (2025). The right-handed hitting infielder is a three-time All-Star (2018-19, 2025) and a Silver Slugger (2019) and Rawlings Gold Glove award winner (2024).
The right-handed hitting Bregman won two World Series championships in his nine seasons with the Astros (2017 and 2022) and played in the Postseason in nine-straight years from 2017-25. In 102 career postseason games, he has recorded 91 hits, 19 home runs and 55 RBI, all the most in major league history by a third baseman. His six home runs and 19 RBI in the World Series are both also MLB-record marks for a third baseman.
Among American League players since 2016 (min. 5,000 PA), Bregman ranks second in walks (627), compared to 716 strikeouts. His 1.14 strikeout to walk ratio during that span is the best in the A.L., while his 11.8% walk rate ranks second. In the past three seasons since 2022, he ranks fourth in the A.L. in walks (274), ninth in doubles (124), tied for 10th in runs (339) and 13th in hits (574).
The six-foot Bregman made his major league debut July 25, 2016 vs. New York (A.L.) and among A.L. rookies that season (min. 200 AB), ranked fifth in OPS (.791), fourth in slugging (.478), ninth in RBI (34) and tied for 11th in home runs (8). In 2017, the right-handed hitting infielder became the second player in major league history to record an RBI in each of his first five career World Series games, including a walk-off single in Game 5 vs. the Dodgers.
Bregman was selected to back-to-back All-Star teams in 2018 and 2019 and won the MVP of the 2018 All-Star Game, after hitting a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning. He finished the 2018 campaign as the first player in MLB history to record 30 homers and 50 doubles in a season while playing the majority of his games at third base and the fourth player in MLB history with a 50-double, 30-homer season prior to turning 25 years old, joining Albert Pujols (2003-04), Alex Rodriguez (1996) and Lou Gehrig (1927).
In 2019, Bregman finished second in the A.L. MVP voting after batting .296 (164-for-554) with 37 doubles, two triples, 41 home runs, 112 RBI and a league-leading 119 walks, contributing to a .423 OBP and a 1.015 OPS. He led the A.L. in WAR (8.4), the second-highest total by an Astros position player in franchise history (Craig Biggio – 9.4 in 1997). His 1.015 OPS marked the sixth third baseman in MLB’s modern era to post an OPS over 1.000 at age 25 or younger.
From 2022-24, Bregman posted three-straight seasons of at least 28 doubles, 23 home runs and 75 RBI, recording at least a 4.0 WAR in each season. In his lone season with Boston in 2025, he batted .273 (118-for-433) with 28 doubles, 18 home runs, 62 RBI and an .821 OPS in 114 games, en route to his third career All-Star Game selection.
A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Bregman was selected by the Astros with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Louisiana State University.
