Cubs rumors: Insider urges Chicago to avoid ‘silly’ trade after Alex Bregman coup

The Chicago Cubs made one of the most impactful moves of the offseason when they agreed with free agent third baseman Alex Bregman on a five-year, $175 million deal, and the decision could impact the future of one specific franchise staple.

According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs could potentially be open to trading infielder Nico Hoerner, but should avoid making such a choice.

“Chicago sports fans are buzzing about their Bears and their Cubs. The only way to deflate them would be if the front office traded Hoerner. It doesn’t matter if it would give the team more financial flexibility under the first luxury tax threshold — according to Roster Resource, the Cubs are less than $1 million below that $244 million mark. That Hoerner has a year left on his deal shouldn’t be a big factor,” Rosenthal wrote.

“None of these supposed issues should impede a team that, on paper at least, appears to be a legitimate contender once again. Trading Hoerner, a team leader, elite defender and above-average offensive player, would be antithetical to the ultimate goal of winning.”

Hoerner has been with the Cubs since the franchise drafted him in 2018, and earned a reputation as a player who provides consistent effort. Across 156 games last season, the 28-year-old mashed seven home runs, posted a .297 batting average, and earned a .739 OPS.

It is not clear if the Cubs would be willing to part with the California native, but his imprint on the franchise is hard to ignore from a leadership perspective.

“Nico’s great at some things I think other people think they’re good at and they’re not as good at it,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said in December at the Winter Meetings. “I’m not talking about just players, I’m talking about people. When you say show up every day and complete every rep, every rep is completed perfectly. That’s who Nico is. That seems like that’s easy, ‘Everybody can do that, I do that.’ Well, you don’t do it. I would put Nico at the top of the list for how he does that.

“In a sport like baseball with so many games and so many moments, it shows up a lot. It’s a great trait to have and it’s what made Nico a very, very good baseball player.”

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