![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2241411181-e1768228078196.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Chicago Cubs<\/a> have spent this winter acting like a real contender again, and now they\u2019re getting a loud warning not to ruin it with one \u201csilly\u201d move, according to a new report from The Athletic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n After Chicago landed Alex Bregman<\/a> on a five-year, $175 million deal<\/a>, some fans immediately wondered what it means for the infield and whether the club could consider moving second baseman Nico Hoerner. Multiple reports have framed the offseason as a \u201cnear-perfect\u201d run of aggressive additions \u2014 and the message from at least one prominent observer is simple: don\u2019t trade Hoerner now.<\/p>\n Key details:<\/p>\n Bregman: 5 years, $175 million; reports say $70 million deferred (deferrals impact AAV math).\u00a0 The Cubs have had a near-perfect offseason and are finally behaving in the aggressive manner fans have been begging for for years. The last thing they should do now is something silly like trading Nico Hoerner <\/p>\n Cubs Get Nico Hoerner Trade Chatter, But the \u201cNear-Perfect\u201d Offseason Has a Theme<\/p>\n Bregman\u2019s signing is the kind of move Cubs fans have been begging to see: Chicago outbid competition and added a proven impact bat for the middle of the order.<\/p>\n It also naturally creates questions about roster dominoes. Hoerner is a high-level defender with speed, contact ability, and leadership value, and his salary sits in the range teams can actually absorb. That\u2019s why he\u2019s the type of player other clubs check in on, even if Chicago isn\u2019t shopping him.<\/p>\n But if the Cubs are truly pushing into \u201cwin-now\u201d mode, the argument against a Hoerner deal is straightforward: you don\u2019t weaken a premium up-the-middle spot right when you\u2019re finally spending and upgrading.<\/p>\n What It Means for Chicago\u2019s Infield After the Bregman Splash<\/p>\n The Cubs can sell a clean message to the clubhouse: this is a season to step on the gas.<\/p>\n Bregman\u2019s arrival gives Chicago another established middle-of-the-lineup presence. Cabrera adds upside to the rotation mix. And if the Cubs are hovering near the CBT line, that\u2019s a front-office problem; not a reason to subtract a core player.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a practical baseball point here: contenders need depth. Over a 162-game season, teams don\u2019t survive without multiple high-end infield defenders and reliable everyday bats. Moving Hoerner might open a theoretical lane for younger players. but it also creates a very real hole that can show up in tight division games in May and June, not just in October.<\/p>\n The Numbers That Make This a Real Conversation And Why Fans Hate It<\/p>\n This is where the \u201cpressure\u201d comes in: the CBT threshold for 2026 is $244 million, and every big move gets judged through that lens. Hoerner\u2019s $12 million salary is a clean chunk of money to clear if a team is trying to stay under a line.<\/p>\n But the Cubs didn\u2019t have a \u201cdream offseason\u201d to pinch pennies at the finish line. If anything, the offseason has reset expectations: Chicago is done with half-measures, and the next step is acting like a heavyweight all season, not creating a self-inflicted roster issue right after landing the headline signing.<\/p>\n What to watch next: if Chicago makes another addition (especially a high-salary bat), Hoerner rumors will flare again. If the Cubs stay put, expect the message to be even louder: keep the infield strong and take a real run at the division.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tErik Anderson<\/a> is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Cubs\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Chicago Cubs have spent this winter acting like a real contender again, and now they\u2019re getting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[5,138,24,4245,161,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-516806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-cubs","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-cubs","11":"tag-chicagocubs","12":"tag-cubs","13":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115882863289206567","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRotation add: Cubs acquired starter Edward Cabrera<\/a>, who agreed to a one-year, $4.45M contract after the trade.\u00a0
\nTax line context: MLB\u2019s first CBT threshold for 2026 is $244 million.\u00a0
\nHoerner money: Hoerner is set to make $12 million in 2026 (final year of his current deal).\u00a0<\/p>\n