Chicago Cubs broadcaster Jon "Boog" Sciambi and color analyst Jim Deshaies criticized the team's recent $175 million acquisition, Alex Bregman, for his hustle on a ground ball play during Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The incident occurred in the sixth inning with the Cubs trailing 1-0 and a runner on base.
As Bregman hit a ground ball to short, Willy Adames bobbled the ball. Sciambi noted on the broadcast that Bregman "goes down the line, but he’s still thrown out." Deshaies commented on Bregman's effort, stating, "Could’ve gone a little harder… You don’t have to try and win an Olympic medal every time you get down the first base line, but you need to go a little harder than that."
Despite the critique, the Cubs rallied to win the game 4-3, taking two out of three games in the series. Bregman's performance this season has been a point of concern for the team. After a strong showing with the Red Sox last season, where he posted an .821 OPS and a .273 batting average, his numbers in Chicago have been career-lows, with a .671 OPS and a .239 average.
Bregman's struggles are part of a broader trend of high-priced free agents underperforming this season, with other notable players also experiencing disappointing results.