Nico Hoerner’s mom and dad, both teachers who never pushed him to be a ballplayer, and his two sisters sat in the front row, with his fiancee Julia, who was presented roses by the Cubs. At least a dozen teammates filled one side of the room, including locker mate Ian Happ, along with manager Craig Counsell.
The second baseman and Cubs president Jed Hoyer exchanged bouquets, Hoyer saying that from the time the Cubs drafted Hoerner 24th overall in 2018 they had identified him as a player who met their vision of what it was to be a Cub. Negotiations that began in January met the Opening Day deadline Hoerner had set for a deal to be struck, or close enough: Hoyer said the sides completed negotiations during the game.
“I thought the coolest thing,’’ Hoyer said, “was each scouting report said, ‘Our kind of player, needs to be a Cub, plays like a Cub.’ Every one of the scouting reports was consistent in this is the kind of player we want to have.
“That could not be more true. When I think of Nico as a player and a person, he’s so unbelievably consistent, , and I think sometimes consistency can be underrated or unappreciated…He’s been a top 20 player, by any estimation in the league, by being so unbelievably consistent.’’
It has rarely paid better to be a Cub. On Friday, the Cubs announced they had signed center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to a six-year, $115 million deal. After Sunday’s game, in a second-floor conference room in the Cubs’ offices, the club announced a six-year, $141 million deal for second baseman Hoerner.
Hoerner was eligible for free agency after the season, and as much as he expressed his love for playing here, he acknowledged he was prepared to test the market if it came to that. It was important to him that he be valued the way he perceived he should.
So is this what the Cubs look like with the financial gloves off, big paydays for Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner, which was preceded by the five-year, $175 million free agent signing of Alex Bregman?
Well, sure, but it requires some context: The Cubs have a lot of money potentially coming off the books after the season. The Cubs still have six players potentially eligible for free agency after the season: Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Carson Kelly.
If you’re sitting in Hoyer’s chair, that clearly makes it easier to make the case to owner Tom Ricketts that with such clean books, this is an ideal time to lock up the pieces that you’ve identified as keys to sustaining success, especially with the next couple of free agent classes lacking in significant star power.
“Reaching free agency in our sport is a really big deal,’’ Hoerner said. “It takes time, a lot of help and fortune and opportunity. It’s not something to take lightly when that opportunity is close. But you also step back and take a look at what opportunity would be better, and I’m in a place right now, I don’t think there’s a better place to play in our sport right now.
“We’ve got an incredible opportunity in front of us right now and having a taste of the playoffs last year and seeing what that’s like, it’s a thing that gives me a lot of confidence…’’
Hoerner said he gave some thought to the looming labor situation, where a lockout appears almost all but certain, but said it didn’t play much of a role in his decision, noting that during the last lockout, most top-end free agents came pretty quickly to agreements with signing clubs.
Here are the breakdowns of the Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner deals, as confirmed by a major league source:
Nico Hoerner’s contract:
6 years, $141 million
$5 million signing bonus
$23 million in 2027 and 2028
$22.5 million in 2029-2032
$25 million deferred.