After years of avoiding the top of the market and eschewing longer-term deals, the Chicago Cubs finally entered modern free agency by signing Alex Bregman. His five-year, $175 million deal is the antithesis of what the team's strategy has been under the combination of Jed Hoyer's front office and Tom Ricketts' ownership. It's the highest AAV ever given out by the team, and it features major deferrals, a team and agent-friendly tactic that, for whatever reason, the Cubs have been opposed to in recent years.
To say it was a breath of fresh air is an understatement.