Quick Bullets from Alex Bregman’s Introductory Presser

Rather than try to provide a long-form breakdown or cull through footage to transcribe direct quotes, I’m just going to bullet out a breakdown of the salient points from Alex Bregman’s introductory press conference. He’s not a big talker and he mainly stuck to the same talking points, but there were a few nuggets that really stood out.

Let’s get into it…

• Bregman opened by saying that the Cubs showed him early in the offseason that they prioritized what matters most to him: His family and winning baseball games.
• Being the “ultimate baseball rat” came from being obsessed with being great from an early age; winning is what drives him.
• Jed Hoyer said the Cubs targeted Bregman right away, and Scott Boras noted that there was a synergy between team and player.
• Bregman has enjoyed his time attending Blackhaws and Bulls games recently, and will also be at the Bears game on Sunday. Said he and his wife were watching the Bears when news of his signing broke; joked that the outcome might impact how fans viewed him.
• The hitting environment at Wrigley should work out well; Cubs overlayed a spray chart of Bregman’s batted balls, and he thinks his approach will make for strong production.
• Bregman likes the mix of players on the roster; Hoyer said he asked for reports on every member of the roster and what they’re working on, and that Bregman has already called all his teammates.
• Also of note, Bregman felt it was very important to become fluent in Spanish so that he can better communicate with his teammates in their native language.
• Bregman also made sure to tell the Cubs that his participation in the WBC would not negatively impact his work. He’ll get to the facility in the morning to get his work done.
• He’s also excited for CubsCon and the energy of Chicago in the winter; saw how the city rallied around the ’16 team and wants that again.
• Speaking of which, Bregman confirmed that he did not consult Nico Hoerner about changing his jersey to No. 3; he did that because he wants a third title.
• Playing more afternoon games is great because he can have more dinners at home with his young family.
• The no-trade clause was important because Bregman and his wife want to ensure they can keep raising their kids in the same city for at least the duration of the deal.

Other tidbits

• Hoyer deflected any talk about Matt Shaw, saying only that it’s important to have good players who can play multiple positions.
• Likewise, nothing at all about Hoener trade speculation.
• Willingness to do big deferrals for Bregman came after lots of talks with ownership and business operations about evolving in their outlook in terms of financial engineering.
• Hoyer said Bregman’s focus on his teammates and winning made the Cubs willing to make this financial commitment.