Insider believes Chicago Cubs have ‘more work to do’ to prove they can spend as big market

The Chicago Cubs are prepping for the start of the MLB season on Thursday, hosting the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field. Coming off a season in which they won the Wild Card round but then fell short in the divisional round, the Cubs are looking to make a run at the NL Central.

But before the season begins, the Cubs are attempting to lock up a core player.

On Monday, Jeff Passan reported that the Cubs and outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong are close to a long-term extension. We don’t have the official numbers on the deal just yet but it’s great news that the Cubs are locking up a core player. Crow-Armstrong being here for the long-term is great news as it shows the Cubs are serious about spending.

However, one MLB insider is looking at another future deal in order for them to prove that they can spend like a big market team.

Ken Rosenthal points to Nico Hoerner for Cubs to prove they can spend like a big market

The Cubs still have a big decision to make on another core player — Nico Hoerner. The infielder is quietly one of the best second basemen in all of baseball year after year. He’s a core piece in the infield that the Cubs can continue to build around. With Hoerner’s contract running up at the end of the 2026 season, the Cubs need to get something done here.

While appearing on “Foul Territory” Ken Rosenthal was asked if this extension signifies maybe the Cubs are going to spend more. In his answer, he pointed to Hoerner’s situation for them to prove it.

“I don’t know that this signals a commitment by the Cubs as much as the Bregman deal did. The next test for them will be Nico Hoerner,” Rosenthal said. “Hoerner is a free agent after this season. He is another palyer who has great value in part because of his defense. He is a guy that they consider, the players, the coaches, everyone within the organization to be really part of their fabric. So do they re-sign Nico Hoerner? The Cubs, still to me have some work to do to prove they can spend like a big market team. . . Nico Hoerner, that will be a better test.”

Cubs fans have been clamoring for the team to spend like a big market team for years. The additions of Bregman and now the extension of Crow-Armstrong were steps forward.

Now, they need to go lock up another key piece of their core.

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