Catching up with Nico Hoerner, the glue guy who holds the Cubs together

MESA, Ariz. — Nico Hoerner isn’t the biggest name or the brightest star in the Chicago Cubs’ clubhouse. But in many ways, there’s no better representative of what this club aspires to be: playing with speed, instincts, style and intelligence.

The old-school elements of Hoerner’s game include the contact skills to hit close to .300, a disappearing talent, as well as the athleticism to provide Gold Glove defense at second base. He also understands the modern developments that made him a 6.2 bWAR player last season, a rating that tied him with Juan Soto among the National League leaders.

Between his Stanford University degree, institutional knowledge and real-world experience, Hoerner’s education matches the resume of anyone in the front office. As the club’s union representative, he will play a leading role during the final year of the sport’s current labor deal. The Athletic caught up with him this week at the Cubs’ Sloan Park training complex for an interview.

The playoffs left everyone wanting more

When reporters and TV cameras surround his locker, Hoerner has a knack for recalling specific plays, recognizing trends and weaving those observations into a big-picture view of the season’s arc.

But in the aftermath of the Milwaukee Brewers’ elimination of the Cubs last October, Hoerner was too drained to go long. In the quiet of American Family Field’s visiting clubhouse, he choked up with a glassy look in his eyes.

Hoerner: You’re at your peak of focus and ability. You couldn’t be more in the middle of it. And for it to be done, it’s very sudden. Obviously, you know it’s an elimination game, you know the reality of that at the end of the day. But it’s the combination of being present and then also still having hope and excitement about things that could be in the future.

The flip side of that — of things suddenly being done — is a little disorienting and emotional. It’s representative of disappointment but also acknowledging a lot of good things, too. It’s emotional on all ends. The farther you get removed from the season, it’s easier to find the positives.

What a “Cubs Way” should look like

During exit meetings after the 2019 season, club officials were blown away by the sharpness of Hoerner’s insights and his ability to communicate. Even though he had just made his major-league debut that September, he already possessed the vision and feel for those dynamics.

That sense of purpose is now apparent in a camp overseen by manager Craig Counsell and a routine-oriented group of players working on doing the little things well.

Hoerner: I was obviously pretty wide-eyed in those first couple weeks. Memories from those times are super strong just because you’re soaking everything in, on the field (and) off the field. That was not a normal team to debut with. The rotation, the veteran presence, every part of that team was just full of legends of the game.

I am really proud of the direction that the organization has gone. The tone of the spring is pretty cool because we haven’t had a ton of turnover — both staff and players — to where I feel like we’re kind of skipping past the fluff of spring training. The improvements that we’re making are really based on things that showed up in big moments of last year.

(Counsell) has so much trust in the players to take care of the basics of getting yourself ready for a season that his focus is really on the details of the game, the finer moments when it comes to a Game 5 or a seven-game series against the best teams in baseball. Those marginal differences, you go straight into them. That’s the luxury of having players that are pretty independent and take care of themselves.

Building a World Series-caliber team

Worn down by their first playoff round against the Cubs, the Brewers were then swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s National League Championship Series, further exposing the gap between the Central division and a World Series parade.

The Cubs acknowledged their pitching deficit, extending the qualifying offer to Shota Imanaga, trading for Edward Cabrera and almost completely remodeling their bullpen while also adding All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to the nucleus of a 92-win team.

In executing their offseason plan, the Cubs showed no interest in bringing back Kyle Tucker, viewing him as an elite left-handed hitter better suited for blending in at Dodger Stadium than being the face of the franchise at Wrigley Field.

After winning back-to-back championships, the Dodgers signed the No. 1 free agent to a four-year, $240 million contract.

Hoerner: It’s an example of how, when a team invests in themselves and wins, it opens up even more opportunities. They are the standard right now, as far as the championships that they’ve won, the talent that they’ve developed internally. Everything I’ve heard is the way they treat players and everything there is on the highest level.

I don’t think we’re doing anything differently in spring training because of the Dodgers. You want to be the best team you can be. Whether it’s the Dodgers or another top team in the sport, you know that in order to win a World Series, you have to beat a team that’s playing at an incredibly high level. Not just once, but four out of seven, and really be a better team over the course of a long series.

All those things add up to really wanting to own every detail and win every moment and get the best out of ourselves.

Don’t take the trade rumors personally

The San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox were among the clubs linked to Hoerner this offseason. Throughout the winter, the Cubs maintained they were in listening mode rather than actively shopping their homegrown second baseman.

It’s standard operating procedure to gauge the interest in a player entering the final year of his contract, and the Cubs anticipated they would place the highest value on Hoerner, knowing his leadership qualities and daily consistency better than any other organization.

Still, that’s back-to-back offseasons in which Hoerner’s name popped up in trade rumors, including when he was recovering from flexor tendon surgery after the 2024 season. Hoerner, who has already signed one contract extension with the Cubs, is positioned to become one of the top players in the next class of free agents, a reality that should not become a distraction.

Hoerner: You’re aware of teams that would be options to trade for you. And then, obviously, there are different roster constructions, so when a team signs a player at your position, it kind of eliminates that a little bit. But this offseason was a little easier to handle mentally.

Last offseason, having trade rumors, I wasn’t physically able yet, so I kind of felt like I was on the outside looking in. You always feel that way when you’re hurt, anyways. That was a little harder to digest. Even though I wasn’t taking it personally, it just doesn’t feel good when you’re hurt. And I felt better about my year in ‘25 than ‘24. Just in a better place myself. That makes it easier to handle uncertainty.

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