The Cubs have an obvious extension candidate (and it’s not Kyle Tucker)

With the smoke clearing from their disastrous loss in the NLDS to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs now look toward the future as they head into the 2025-26 offseason. With several players set to his free agency soon, there is one player who is an absolute priority to extend.

Set to become a free agent after 2026, Nico Hoerner proved he is more than worthy of an extension after a breakout campaign. Hoerner utilized a red-hot August to conclude the season with a .297 batting average, putting himself in contention for the NL batting title in the process.

While players like Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong experienced steady drops in performance after the All-Star Break, Hoerner instead took it a notch higher, with a batting average of .317 dating back to the break.

Playing in his first career postseason, Hoerner was a constant in a lineup that featured inconsistency at times, amassing 13 hits in eight games to go along with an atypical OPS of .972.

The Cubs signed Hoerner to a three-year, $35 million contract extension ahead of the 2024 season, and it is safe to say he has been worth every penny. Through the duration of the contract, he has collected 9.8 bWAR, leading both the Cubs and all second basemen with 6.1 bWAR in 2025. 

Nico Hoerner has been worth every penny for the Cubs

While he consistently flies under the radar throughout Major League Baseball, Hoerner finished the 2025 season in the 99th percentile of MLB in both whiff and strikeout percentage, while also in the 96th percentile with a squared-up rate of 36.4 percentaccording to Baseball Savant. Simply put, when Hoerner swings the bat, he does not miss, and that’s without mentioning the 15 outs about average he recorded at second base in 2025.

With players like Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki also set to hit free agency after 2026, the Cubs should look to get ahead of the market and extend some of their core players. With an extension to Hoerner, the Cubs can successfully secure batting with some of the league’s best defense for many years to come.

One thing is for sure. If the Cubs are not willing to dish out money for Hoerner, another team absolutely will.