Cubs Rumors: Beloved Gold Glover popped up in trade talks at the Winter Meetings

The Chicago Cubs seemed to cast a wide net at the Winter Meetings--entertaining trade talks with the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals, meeting with Pete Alonso, and maintaining their interest in Alex Bregman. While they weren't able to finalize a deal this week, the hope is that the discussion this week will lead to moves being finalized in the coming days.

Among the trade conversations the Cubs reportedly had this week, Gold-Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner popped up in those talks. While stressing the exploratory nature of the conversations and stressing the unlikelihood of a trade actually happening, The Athletic's (subscription required) Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney reported that Hoerner was mentioned in trade talks.

It would make sense for Hoerner to be a player that teams ask about. He was mentioned in trade talks last offseason and is making $12 million in the final year of the three-year extension he signed with the Cubs that went into effect ahead of the 2024 season. With the free-agent market for second basemen looking bare, and the Cubs looking for creative trades to add a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, it was only natural for the 28-year-old to come up in conversations had during the Winter Meetings.

Nico Hoerner popped up in trade talks at the Winter Meetings, but he remains someone the Cubs should build around.

Hoerner hasn't just emerged as a beloved player amongst Cubs fans; he has become a leader within the team's clubhouse. While this is the same front office that set the emotions aside and parted with David Ross in favor of Craig Counsell, trading away a team leader in the middle of a contention window would be an entirely new level of emotionless decision-making.

The overwhelming expectation is that the Hoerner will be the starting second baseman for the Cubs on Opening Day. Even if there is a scenario where the Cubs do sign Bregman this offseason, that likely would see Matt Shaw moved into a super-utility role.

It is possible that Bregman's arrival would also serve as an insurance policy for next offseason. If Hoerner leaves via free agency next winter, a scenario could see Shaw take over as the team's starting second baseman with Bregman entrenched at third base.

For now, there's nothing to see here, at least on the trading Hoerner front, and it would seem unlikely that sentiment changes moving forward.