There’s a strong case to be made that the Chicago Cubs already have the best defense in all of baseball.
They had more 2025 Gold Glove Award winners (Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Nico Hoerner) than any other team in the league last season. Dansby Swanson is considered one of the best shortstops in MLB, Matt Shaw is solid at third base, and several pitchers on the roster are better than average at fielding their position.
The combination of Hoerner and Swanson up the middle is undoubtedly elite. While neither of these two had stellar offensive campaigns in 2025, they were both excellent baserunners and continued to flash world-class leather daily for Chicago. And most feel like these two will remain core pieces of the team moving forward.
Swanson is sure to be sticking around, since the seven-year, $177 million contract extension he signed with the team back in 2022 keeps him under team control through the 2029 campaign.
Hoerner is a different story. While he inked a three-year, $35 million extension with the Cubs in March 2023, he remains unsigned heading into his final year of team control. While there have been talks about another potential extension, the bottom line is that Hoerner’s future in Chicago after 2026 remains uncertain.
Why Nico Hoerner Is An “Ideal” Trade Candidate For The Cubs
MLB.com writer Mark Feinsand listed the top potential trade candidates for every MLB team this offseason in a November 28 article. When it came to the Cubs, Feinsand asserted that this distinction belongs to Nico Hoerner, even calling him an “ideal trade fit.”
@Feinsand listed a trade candidate for every team in MLB in his latest article. He said Nico Hoerner could be a potential trade candidate.
“Hoerner is in the final year of the three-year, $35 million extension he signed in March 2023, and while he may not be a likely trade… pic.twitter.com/8tiBFVfSkx
— SleeperCubs (@SleeperCubs) November 30, 2025
Feinsand’s reasoning for this was simple. If Hoerner hits free agency next offseason, there’s a good chance the Cubs won’t pay him what he’s worth, since there are other compelling second basemen within the organization (such as current third baseman Matt Shaw). Therefore, by trading Hoerner this offseason and moving Shaw to second, the Cubs could add an elite third baseman (like Alex Bregman) this winter, given that the third base market is better than the second base market.
Feinsand did admit that it doesn’t seem likely Hoerner will get traded before the 2026 season begins. But Jed Hoyer and the rest of Chicago’s front office would be wise to consider making this move, if only so Hoerner doesn’t walk in free agency and the team gets nothing in return for him at this time next year.
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