The New York Yankees have reportedly reached out and expressed interest in trading for Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, according to Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated, who tweeted on Sunday evening.
This comes after the Chicago Cubs signed all-star third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5 year, $175 million contract late Saturday evening, first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. Since this news, the Cubs are now reportedly “open” to the possibility of trading Hoerner this offseason, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Nico Hoerner Is The Type Of Player The Yankees Need
Hoerner, a right handed hitter who’s currently 28 years old, is known for having a skillset in which he’s a high contact rate type of hitter who can hit for average and play elite defense in the infield, in which he has experience playing shortstop and second base, but was primarily the Cubs second baseman this past season in 2025 due to the everyday shortstop being Dansby Swanson.
Hoerner in 2025 posted a .297 batting average with a .345 on-base percentage to go along with seven home runs, 29 stolen bases, and a .739 OPS. Hoerner is not known as a hitter with a lot of power; that’s not his player profile, and those aren’t the main skill sets of his game. He’s a hitter who rarely strikes out with an 11.2 whiff percentage and a 7.6 K percentage, both of which rank in the 99th percentile amongst big league hitters, according to Baseball Savant. Hoerner fits the exact player profile that the Yankees are looking for. A right-handed hitter who can hit at the top of the order for a high average, hit for contact, get on base, and play elite defense in the middle infield.
The Yankees have had their fair share of struggles up the middle with shortstop Anthony Volpe, who is heading into his fourth season with the team, but has been vastly underperforming so far in his tenure with the club. Volpe will miss the first month or so of the season due to having left shoulder surgery this offseason. Among the list of areas the Yankees need to address this offseason, shortstop is in fact one area they could upgrade with the addition of a guy like Hoerner.
The Cubs Don’t Have To Trade Nico Hoerner This Offseason
Whether the Cubs trade him is a different story. Hoerner is in his walk year, in which his contract expires at the end of the 2026 season, according to Spotrac. But the Cubs also view themselves as in win-now mode, and with rookie third baseman Matt Shaw, who struggled throughout his first taste of big league action in 2025, they could move him over to second base, which makes Hoerner a trade chip. Or the Cubs could hold onto Hoerner in case Shaw needs more time in the minors this upcoming season.
Either way, a player of Nico Hoerner’s caliber is someone the Cubs are at least considering selling high on, considering his skillset and his looming free agency. It’s smart to at least listen to offers, similar to the situation the Yankees find themselves in with Jazz Chisholm Jr, who had a career year himself with the Yankees, but is also in his walk year and has GM Brian Cashman listening to offers , but not with the guarantee that he will, in fact, be traded.
As to whether the Yankees and Cubs can reach a deal, it remains to be seen, as does the Yankees’ reported “impasse” with Bellinger in talks and their looking at “alternative options”, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees approach the rest of this offseason, with glaring roster holes to address and pitchers and catchers reporting just a month from today.
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