This Nico Hoerner contract extension would silence the Cubs' trade rumors for good

Unless they're completely blown away by a team willing to dramatically overpay, the Chicago Cubs are not trading Nico Hoerner. The two-time Gold Glover is entering the final season of the three-year, $35 million extension he signed in March 2023 - and makes sense as a primary extension candidate for Jed Hoyer and the front office.

Hoerner finished runner-up in the NL batting title race last season, with things coming down to the final weekend of the regular season. He finished the campaign at .297 in what amounted to the best year of his big-league career. The 28-year-old led all MLB second basemen with 4.8 fWAR, buoyed by elite contact rates and superb defensive marks, as well.

You're not going to get him for $11 million and change a year moving forward. He's established himself as a premier player at his position and his skillset adds a critical wrinkle to this Cubs lineup. So here's what I'm proposing to keep Hoerner in Chicago long-term.

Nico Hoerner has earned another contract extension from the Cubs

6 years, $110 million w/ partial no-trade clause

On the open market, Hoerner can sell himself not only as a two-time Gold Glove second baseman, but a guy more than capable of playing shortstop on an everyday basis. His defensive versatility is incredibly valuable - and something teams would be lining up to land in free agency.

The Cubs aren't getting a discount here. So accept that before we go any further.

A six-year extension would carry Hoerner through his age-34 season, with a luxury tax hit of $18.33 million annually. It gives Chicago some more certainty past 2026 - remember, after this season, the likes of Hoerner, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are all set to hit free agency.

I don't worry about how Hoerner is going to age into his 30s because hit bat-to-ball skills seem rooted more in plate approach and control than bat speed (despite batting nearly .300 and ranking in the 99th percentile in both Whiff% and strikeout rate last season, he ranked in the bottom eight percent of the league in bat speed).

Power isn't really his game, so no concerns over that diminishing. Even if he took a step backwards defensively by the end of the deal, he'd still profile as a solidly above-average second baseman. Of course, the flip side of this whole situation is the Cubs could view Matt Shaw as his successor and if they truly believe in him, it's hard to envision them shelling out nine figures to keep Hoerner past 2026.

But, in my mind, he's a guy who brings a lot of intangibles to this team - and the Cubs would be short-sighted to let him walk at year's end. Forget trading him. This is a player you should continue to build around for years to come.