Nico Hoerner Could Be Valubale Trade Chip For Chicago Cubs This Offseason

Should the Chicago Cubs trade Nico Hoerner?

Sep 29, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second base Nico Hoerner (2) completes a double play after forcing out Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley (27) during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are heading into an offseason with a few areas to improve upon, as they look to catch up with some of the elite teams in the National League. 

Even though they were over .500 in 2024, the campaign felt like a bit of a letdown for the Cubs. Chicago has a lot of talent on the team, but they were a franchise that was inconsistent and really struggled when things were going badly. 

This offseason, the Cubs will be primed to make a few changes and additions, and if things go right, could be competing for a playoff spot in 2025. 

Fortunately for Chicago, they are pretty much set in their starting rotation, as they have a quartet of talented arms coming back from last year. While they will look to add one more arm, they don’t need to do anything massive in that area. The bullpen, however, is a different story, as they certainly need help there. 

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently spoke about potential trade chips this winter and named Nico Hoerner of the Cubs as a potential player who could be moved. 

“Prior to shifting to second base following the Swanson signing, Hoerner played a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop in 2022 when he logged 10 Defensive Runs Saved in 1,117.2 innings at the position in his first full big league season. With a 101 OPS+, 43 extra-base hits, 31 steals and elite contact skills, Hoerner is capable of providing positive value in a wide variety of ways, and he has piled up 13.0 WAR over the last three seasons. The Cubs won't trade him just to trade him, but if the right offer comes along that provides MLB-ready talent at another area of need, there is a real possibility he could be on the move.”

With seemingly a stockpile of infielders all of a sudden, Hoerner has quietly become expendable for the Cubs despite being a very good player and their starting second baseman. 

For other franchises, the infielder's ability to play either second base or shortstop at a high level would likely result in him being highly sought after. Also, with two years and $23.5 million on his contract, he is quite affordable as well. 

Chicago likely won’t just trade Hoerner for the sake of trading him, but if they could move him for a player with some power or help in the bullpen, it would make sense for the franchise.