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Cubs celebrate Opening Day at Wrigley Field
Wrigleyville is alive. Opening Day feels like family and a party. Dane Placko is there with all the Cubs fans.
With Pete Crow-Armstrong officially in the fold for the long haul, the Chicago Cubs shined a silver lining on a dreary day.
A 10-4 Opening Day loss was a flat way to start the season, but the Cubs ended the day with good news: They've reportedly agreed to terms with Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner on an extension.
What we know:
Hoerner and the Cubs have agreed to a six-year extension, according to multiple reports. ESPN was the first to report the news.
Hoerner's stats aren't like Crow-Armstrong's, where the power hitting shines and the RBI numbers pop off the page. But, Hoerner is consistent.
He established himself as a big league player in the 2022 season, and has 19.6 Wins Above Replacement in that time. He has a batting average of .284 across, 123 stolen bases, 232 RBI, 113 doubles and two Golden Gloves across those four seasons.
In 2025, he recorded 29 stolen bases. Hoerner also had the third-lowest strikeout rate among qualified hitters.
Hoerner and Crow-Armstrong combined for 10.4 WAR last season. Both finished in the top two at their position in WAR, too. Both of the Cubs' most valuable players are locked up for the long-term.
Big picture view:
Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer was asked if the team would put off any outstanding extension talks until a later date.
"Next question," Hoyer said with a smile.
"I think that all those things are personal, both keeping the negotiations in the organization, but guys have preferences," Hoyer said. "Some guys feel like they want to focus on the season and put it behind them, and some guys are willing to sort of have the agents have those conversations. And obviously, if the player wants to disclose that, that's up to him. But I think it's not my place to talk about that. And we've always been very clear, like if the player's okay with talking, then we'll be okay with talking, but it's a player preference."
In this case, Hoerner was on track to keep the dialogue open. The player and team crossed the finish line, and the team was eager to extend him for the long haul into the next decade.
Extending Hoerner is also a sign the Cubs believe in this core they've built.
Crow-Armstrong is paid as the future face of the franchise, Alex Bregman is certainly paid as a star, but extending Hoerner is a sign the Cubs are willing to put their money where their mouth is.
Hoerner is an underappreciated player. He doesn't have the power to drive baseballs into the bleachers on a consistent basis, but he's as consistent as any player in the league at getting on base and defense.
The Cubs had Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon set to be free agents next season. Now, that's one less name the Cubs have to stress on locking up.
Extending Hoerner is a sign the Cubs understand when a player is one of the best in the league, even if those skills fly under the radar at times.
For the foreseeable future, Hoerner, Bregman and Dansby Swanson will make up one of the best defensive infields in the Major Leagues.