That winter, Hoerner had just wrapped up the first year of a three-year contract extension tying him to the organization that drafted him No. 22 in the 2018 MLB Draft. But that pact came without the protection of a no-trade clause, and as the Cubs sputtered to a second consecutive 83-win, playoff-less season, the idea of trading a controllable second baseman with the ability to play shortstop to upgrade the roster wasn\u2019t too far-fetched.<\/p>\n
A trade never materialized and this winter, when his name again began percolating in the trade rumor mill, he was more at peace with his situation. But he still wanted to finish his career in Chicago, donning the only uniform he\u2019s known.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk about seven years of commitment and it\u2019s a decision that goes very far outside of yourself (like) picturing potentially having a family in those years,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cAnd there\u2019s a whole lot of things that, in a good way, brought up good, challenging conversations and I think it just kind of helps get exercise for understanding your values and being in a place where I feel valued as a player, but as a person. The Cubs treat my family incredibly well and (I) have a home here that we love and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a better place to be a baseball player.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think free agency is a special thing to get to experience, but it\u2019s hard to imagine a situation that can top this.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774834167_745_CTC-L-CUBS-NATIONALS122.jpg\")
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner stands with teammates for the national anthem Thursday, March 26, 2026, on opening day at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it was so paramount for Hoerner and his agent, Adam Karon of Apex Baseball, to begin negotiations with Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the team over a new extension. That process began in January, with conversations \u201cpicking up steam in like the last two weeks,\u201d Hoyer said.<\/p>\n
Both sides imposed an artificial deadline of opening day. The new deal, which includes a no-trade clause, begins in 2027 and runs through his age-35 season, was finalized as the Cubs dropped the season opener to the Nationals<\/a> 10-4.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess we sort of honored the deadline,\u201d Hoyer quipped after the news conference. \u201cWe sort of had that as a deadline all along, which I think is good and it forced us to sort of come together and get a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Most importantly, the deal practically ensures Hoerner will finish his career as a Cub \u2014 no more trade rumors or thoughts of moving away from Chicago.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of us have this kind of idea that \u2018Oh, you\u2019re going to stay with the same team from the beginning of your career,\u2019\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s just not the reality in sports most of the time. So, to be in that situation to potentially do that, I still haven\u2019t wrapped my head around that, but it was a huge priority in this process.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a historic organization to be able to be here for a significant chunk of that and hopefully be able to add to that history is a very meaningful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n For manager Craig Counsell, extending Hoerner is a sign of how baseball values players. He\u2019s only clubbed 36 home runs in his six-plus seasons in the majors and has never posted an OPS above .751, but he\u2019s won a pair of Gold Glove Awards at second base, stolen 20 or more bases in the last four seasons and has a career batting average of .282. He\u2019s also posted four straight seasons of at least 3.7 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference.<\/p>\n \u201cNico has shown everybody (that) if you do a lot of things really well and the sum of that is just an excellent player,\u201d Counsell said before the Cubs lost to the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Sunday<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s how we got here, right? He just does a lot of things really well and you add it all up and it\u2019s one of the better players in the league and that\u2019s what he\u2019s rewarded for.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the all-around game. That adds to wins. I think we\u2019re coming from a place where \u2026 we\u2019re just better at understanding what leads to baseball wins now.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoerner\u2019s extension, coupled with center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s six-year pact<\/a> that was announced last Friday, provides some reassurances to the rest of the players in the clubhouse, too. Hoerner\u2019s impact on the team was clear on Sunday. Teammates Matthew Boyd, Carson Kelly, Cade Horton, Mois\u00e9s Ballesteros, Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Alex Bregman and Ian Happ, along with Counsell, were all in attendance at the news conference.<\/p>\n