What the Chicago Cubs could get in a Nico Hoerner trade

The Chicago Cubs’ signing of third baseman Alex Bregman set off a domino effect that began with the fans’ elation and now brings up questions regarding a possible trade of second baseman Nico Hoerner.

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Rumors have been rampant since the big Cubs pickup that the post-Bregman move, after signing off on a 5-year, $175 million contract for the three-time All-Star, would be a salary dump of Hoerner. The 28-year-old middle infielder will make just under $12 million in 2026 and, more importantly, he’s set to become a free agent at the end of this coming season, walking into the open market as one of the gems of the 2027 free agent class.

On the surface, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Cubs to ditch one of their key components in what appears to be a year where they’re actually “all in” when it comes to winning a championship. However, this IS the team that traded Cody Bellinger to the Yankees for a second tier pitcher in a blatant salary dump just days after trading for Kyle Tucker.

Trading Nico Hoerner

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“There are no indications that the Cubs are looking to move Hoerner,” wrote Sahadev Sharma in a recent piece for The Athletic, “but other teams have come calling, and this organization won’t hang up when others ring. The Cubs will listen, and if they’re blown away, they may decide it’s the right thing to do.”

The “listening” is the intriguing and/or concerning part.

There is, reportedly, a growing list of teams interested in Hoerner which includes the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Seattle Mariners.

Hoerner is an elite-tier contact hitter who posted a 6.2 bWAR with a .297 batting average last year while winning his second Gold Glove. He’s also firmly established himself as a team leader and emphasized his importance to the squad with a stellar run at the end of the season and throughout the playoffs.

It’s obvious why teams would want him, even with just one year of team control guaranteed.

But what would the Cubs be able to get in return for the old school second baseman?

What the Cubs might get in return

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report estimates that it would cost the Red Sox a top pitching prospect, lefty Connelly Early, to land Hoerner:

“The Cubs could simply hold onto Hoerner and use Matt Shaw in a super-utility role, but they now have a high-value trade chip who could be on his way out the door anyway with free agency awaiting next winter. Early, 23, had a 2.33 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings over four starts as a September call-up, and showed enough in that audition to start Game 3 of the ALWC against the Yankees. He would give the organization much-needed depth with Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon both ticketed for free agency next offseason.”

Christopher Kline of Fansided, meanwhile, offered his estimate of what it would take for the Giants, who are said to be “aggressively pursuing” Hoerner, to get the Cubs’ second baseman– 2B Casey Schmitt, LHP Carson Whisenhunt (the Giants’ top pitching prospect and no. 7 overall), and RHP Hayden Birdsong.

Per Kline:

“This trade sets the table for Shaw to start regularly at the keystone, with newcomer Casey Schmitt filling in as the backup, with occasional utility at third base or shortstop as needed…

Hayden Birdsong, 24, has struggled to establish himself in his first couple MLB seasons. He started 10 games in 2025 before San Francisco demoted him to a bullpen gig. Still, he puts some juice on his fastball and has encouraging whiff rates. There’s a potential for him to develop into a back-end starter, with a floor as a middle relief-swingman type.

Carson Whisenhunt, the Giants’ No. 7 prospect, is the more intriguing bet. He didn’t do much in his brief MLB cameo last season, but the 25-year-old lefty offers up one of the best changeups in the game. If he can start to command his other pitches more effectively, there’s a world in which Whisenhunt becomes a genuine No. 3 starter type for the Cubs within a couple years. If not, that nasty changeup alone should allow him to blossom as a reliever.”

An offer they can’t refuse…

What all the trade proposals have in common, however, is the belief that the Cubs would be willing to make any such deal in the first place. It would boggle the mind a bit if, after spending over $200 million in free agency and trading away their top prospect for pitcher Edward Cabrera in a concerted effort to win now, they’d turn around and flip an asset like Hoerner, who stands to play an important role in the team’s immediate success.

Stranger things have happened, of course, and the team DOES have a second base substitute in Matt Shaw on deck, as well as no. 9 prospect James Triantos at Triple-A. The idea of adding a top-tier pitching prospect, close to contributing at the major league level, could be irresistible as well as cost-efficient, especially with, literally, half the team (including starters Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga) headed towards free agency after 2026. So, stay tuned.

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