The Chicago Cubs took the big swing they felt was necessary and signed Alex Bregman in free agency.
But the move created a logjam also involving Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw, and now the Cubs risk making a big mistake.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the San Francisco Giants are "aggressively pursuing" a second baseman and are "engaged" with the Cubs in trade talks about Hoerner.
A Hoerner trade would mean Shaw slides over to play second base from his natural third base.
It would also mean the Cubs lose one of their most consistent and beloved players.
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Hoerner was a first-round selection by the Cubs in 2018 out of Stanford.
He has been a solid producer pretty much since the day he arrived in the major leagues, and he's coming off his best season.
In 2025, Hoerner hit.297 with 29 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 61 RBI, 29 steals and 89 runs scored.
He struck out just 49 times in 649 plate appearances, a throwback kind of hitter.
Hoerner also won his second Gold Glove.
He's not generally at the point of his career that a big market club like the Cubs would consider trading him.
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Shaw makes things complicated. He struggled as a rookie but was a top prospect, and the Cubs probably don't want to give up on his development yet.
But trading Hoerner now, while potentially landing a solid return, also gets rid of a player the Cubs really have no great incentive to get rid of.
Some judgment can be reserved until details about what would come the other way are potentially revealed.
But the Cubs' lineup would look great with both Bregman and Hoerner in it. There's a chance Chicago is overthinking this.
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