It would be an understatement to say that the Boston Red Sox's season hasn't gone according to plan. Fortunately, an underwhelming American League has kept them in the early Wild Card race and maybe in a position to buy at the trade deadline, if Craig Breslow's optimism holds.
The same might not be the case for former Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman and the Chicago Cubs, who have been on a long slump in the highly competitive National League Central. Chicago went on a 10-game losing streak in May and hasn't fully recovered. It's played three series since the streak ended and hasn't won a single one (but split one with the Pittsburgh Pirates).
Bregman has recently been in the spotlight for his poor offensive performance and for taking much of the blame for Chicago's rough spell. Red Sox fans have been so caught up in their own team's heinous offensive showings that they may not have noticed how Bregman's season has gone.
“I’ve been terrible. I need to play better. Offensively, its been awful. I’ve failed many times in this game. I’ve struggled. I’ve started slow before, I’ve started fast before. When you’re struggling, there is only one way forward and that’s straight, head-on through it," Bregman said (via Jesse Rogers of ESPN).
Alex Bregman’s regression with Cubs has spared Red Sox from even more offensive shame
After a solid April, Bregman hasn't looked like himself at the plate. The veteran is slashing .243/.327/.342 with nine doubles, a triple and five home runs over 65 games. His 19 RBI leave much to be desired and he's left a league-leading 140 runners on base this season.
Bregman has hit a new low in the last week, with a .107/.194/.250 slash line in his last seven games, going just 3-for-28 in that time, and Cubs fans have been letting him have it. It'd be hard to argue that his five-year, $175 million contract has worked out for Chicago so far, although such a deal gives him quite a long leash.
It would also be hard to argue that the Red Sox couldn't use another infielder hitting at least .243 right now. Caleb Durbin is improving and he has a hit in eight of his last nine games, but he's still working his way up from his ugly start in Boston. Marcelo Mayer is struggling, too, and he's been one of the worst hitters in MLB since the start of May.
At least Sox fans can take solace in the fact that a reunion with Bregman may not have helped their favorite team as much as they might've expected through the first third of this season. His regression with the Cubs has made Boston's complete whiff on a reunion (and its underwhelming offense without him) a little bit easier to deal with.
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