Cubs still listening on Nico Hoerner, but stick to an astronomical asking price

In a matter of weeks, three potential fits in a Nico Hoerner trade addressed their infield needs in the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox.

San Francisco signed three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, Seattle swung a deal with the Cardinals for Brendan Donovan and, most surprisingly, Boston pulled off a six-player trade that brought 2025 NL Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin to Fenway.

So where does this leave the Chicago Cubs and Hoerner? Well, largely in the same position they were before - open and willing to listen on the two-time Gold Glover, but sticking to an asking price that has made multiple teams uncomfortable already this winter.

Cubs refuse to back down on high Nico Hoerner trade asking price

According to Matthew Trueblood over at North Side Baseball, the general premise of what Jed Hoyer is looking for boils down to a versatile MLB infielder (who would fill the role Matt Shaw currently holds as a backup at second, third and, potentially, short), a top pitching prospect to bolster a farm system that lacks a true blue-chip arm and an MLB-ready pitcher to plug into the mix in 2026.

That's a steep asking price for a guy set to hit free agency next fall. But Hoyer is right not to budge because, as we've talked about all winter long, the 2026 Cubs are unquestionably a better team with Nico Hoerner than without. They don't need to dump his salary or force the issue here and, thankfully, there are no signs that's going to happen between now and Opening Day.

Factor in the asking price with a near-nonexistent list of teams around the league that could both A) meet that asking price and B) do so without cannibalizing their chances of competing in 2026, the year they would have Hoerner and it feels like there's a near-zero chance something comes together this spring.

Maybe a club gets desperate this summer and blows Hoyer away with an offer at the trade deadline. If Shaw is playing well and something like that takes shape, something could get done. But right now, the list of fits in a prospective deal has grown drastically smaller very quickly and all signs point to Hoerner being back at second for Chicago this season.