{"id":526801,"date":"2026-01-18T20:32:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T20:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/526801\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T20:32:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T20:32:18","slug":"cubs-fans-get-reassurance-regarding-nico-hoerner-trade-rumors-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/526801\/","title":{"rendered":"Cubs Fans Get Reassurance Regarding Nico Hoerner Trade Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reported interest from contending teams in a potential trade for Nico Hoerner has had Chicago Cubs<\/a> fans on edge.<\/p>\n

Ever since the Cubs agreed to a free-agent contract with third baseman Alex Bregman\u2014giving the organization an abundance of infield talent\u2014speculation has grown that Chicago could move on from its veteran second baseman.<\/p>\n

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Hoerner\u2019s contract expires after the 2026 season, at which point he\u2019ll become an unrestricted free agent. And if the Cubs fully believe in Matt Shaw\u2019s long-term future like they say, bringing Hoerner back on a new deal may not ultimately be in the cards.<\/p>\n

That reality is why teams have checked in on Hoerner\u2019s availability. It can’t hurt to ask<\/a>, right?<\/p>\n

But according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale<\/a>, Hoerner isn\u2019t going anywhere.<\/p>\n

Nightengale reported this week that the Cubs do not intend to trade Hoerner. Instead, Shaw is expected to be the odd man out\u2014splitting time between the minor leagues and a super-utility role at the major-league level.<\/p>\n

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Hoerner was asked about the benefits of more built-in rest during the regular season with Shaw on the roster while speaking at the 2026 Cubs Convention<\/a>. Even then, it wasn\u2019t an idea he seemed particularly fond of.<\/p>\n

Hoerner emphasized that he needs to play every day to find and maintain his rhythm. He’s made a habit of getting better as the season goes on.<\/p>\n

So no, Hoerner does not want to sit for Matt Shaw, nor does he want to be traded. And that stance is right in line with fan sentiment.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d be hard-pressed to find a Cubs fan rooting for Hoerner to be dealt before Opening Day.<\/p>\n

The focus of this team should be on winning the NL Central and making a legitimate push for the World Series. While the Cubs currently sit as division favorites\u2014with an over\/under win total of 88.5<\/a>\u2014there\u2019s no room for complacency.<\/p>\n

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The Cubs would be a significantly worse team in 2026 if they traded Nico Hoerner. He lengthens the lineup, provides lights out defense up the middle, and balled out with a .419 batting average in the first postseason of his career.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s simply no justification for trading him if the Cubs are serious about winning.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Nightengale delivered news that should help Cubs fans rest a little easier as the offseason winds down. Chicago appears to be done making major moves\u2014both in free agency and on the trade market.<\/p>\n

Nico Hoerner, at least for this season, will remain a Chicago Cub. What happens beyond that, once free agency arrives, is an entirely different conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reported interest from contending teams in a potential trade for Nico Hoerner has had Chicago Cubs fans on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[72,5,2146,138,24,4245,161,716,4,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-526801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-cubs","8":"tag-alex-bregman","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-bob-nightengale","11":"tag-chicago","12":"tag-chicago-cubs","13":"tag-chicagocubs","14":"tag-cubs","15":"tag-matt-shaw","16":"tag-mlb","17":"tag-nico-hoerner"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115918008761155299","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526801","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=526801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}