Latest Chicago Cubs front office rumor sets low expectations for 2025 season

Jed Hoyer is entering the final year of his contract as the Chicago Cubs' President of Baseball Operations in 2025. Considering the 2024 season will mark the fourth consecutive season the Cubs have missed the postseason under Hoyer, that will need to change next season if continuity is going to prevail in the team's front office.

Hoyer's job status was mentioned by Bob Nightengale on Sunday as the insider emptied his Major League Baseball notebook for USA Today.

There is internal friction in the Chicago Cubs’ front office, high-ranking officials say, but despite their disappointing season, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, will return in 2025.

The surprising part of Nightengale's report isn't that Hoyer will return for the 2025 season. As we've discussed in the past, there isn't a scenario where the Cubs were going to fire Hoyer after this season. If anything, it would seem that Tom Ricketts would look for any reason to extend Hoyer. But, given the lack of postseason appearances during Hoyer's tenure as the team president, an extension isn't something on the table.

What does raise eyebrows is the idea that there is "internal friction" in the Cubs' front office. Of course, the Cubs' 2024 season has been disappointing, so there is naturally going to be some tension, but the descriptor of "friction" seems to be a targeted report.

Friction in the Cubs' front office isn't a great sign for 2025.

While it would be easy to assume the front office friction is between Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins, it's more likely to be taking place between Hoyer and Craig Counsell.

When the Cubs hired Counsell to be their manager last offseason, a large reason for the change was that they believed Counsell would be integral to the team's front office process the way that David Ross wasn't. There have been hints at potential tension between Counsell and Hoyer regarding baseball decisions, especially how the bullpen was constructed.

The guess is the friction lies with roster constructions, and the two members at odds are Hoyer and Counsell. That's not to say that the two don't have a good working relationship, but in a disappointing season, it's fair to wonder if that is a recipe for success for this Cubs' team. The offseason will be a determining factor in who has the control moving forward, Counsell or Hoyer.