3 players the Chicago Cubs cannot trade under any circumstances

3 players the Chicago Cubs must not trade: #1 – Nico Hoerner

Due to a down year in 2020 (which a lot of players had, mind you) Nico Hoerner’s career slash sits at .267/.331/.344. His excellent defense at second base and high contact bat reminds me daily of a young Ryne Sandberg.

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Taking a look at his college numbers – .303/.351/.408 – the numbers are generally consistent with his big league numbers if you take away the 2020 pandemic-shortened season. He is currently hitting .305/.379/.367 in 2021.

Drafted in the first round by the Cubs in 2018, the Stanford shortstop quickly rose up the minor league ranks from Rookie-level ball in 2018 to the majors in 2019 at the ripe age of 22. He was the first from his draft class to be called up to the Show.

His potential speaks for itself. With Hoerner not even scheduled to hit arbitration until 2023, his contract will be incredibly team-friendly in the years to come until reaching free agency in 2026.

The fact that he won’t reach arbitration until 2023 tells me he probably won’t get extended any time soon due to his $570,500 base salary. That being said, we’ve seen other teams buy out those early years – could Chicago do the same with Hoerner?