'Irreplaceable' Hoerner, teammates tuning out trade buzz 

CHICAGO -- Dansby Swanson was attending the wedding of one of his closest friends when the news broke on Saturday night that the Cubs had signed star third baseman Alex Bregman. The Cubs shortstop excitedly sent Bregman a text message right away and they soon had a quick phone call.

On Friday at the opening night of Cubs Convention, Swanson raved about what Bregman can bring -- both in leadership and performance -- to the team during the course of his five-year contract. Teammates often rave about second baseman Nico Hoerner in similar fashion, and count Swanson among those who hope the trade rumors remain in the realm of speculation.

"Nico means the world to me and to this team, just who he is as a person,” Swanson said. “He brings the same type of energy and competitive spirit that Alex does. He’s somebody that’s just a darn good player, a really good winner, and irreplaceable, really.”

Bregman’s arrival to the Cubs’ roster creates a domino effect that bumps Matt Shaw off third base and into a super-sub role for the infield and outfield. That surplus has led to a surge in trade chatter about Hoerner, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and respected part of the core, but also a free agent after 2026. If Hoerner were dealt, Shaw could slide to second.

Hoerner was a first-round Draft pick by the Cubs in 2018 and debuted a year later, when the bulk of the last core group -- a team with multiple playoffs runs and a World Series title in ‘16 -- was still around. The second baseman then saw the team go through a brief rebuild period, followed by a climb back to the playoffs last season.

Over the years, Hoerner has said multiple times that he would love to be part of a Cubs team that experiences World Series glory again. He repeated that refrain on Friday night, especially given the ballclub’s aspirations to build off its 92-win showing and trip to the National League Division Series in ‘25.

"I definitely want to be here for this season and to be a part of this group,” Hoerner said. “There’s been a really steady arc of improvement here. I think we all wish we had made the playoffs earlier and gone farther last year, but you still have to appreciate progress and we’re in a position now to take the next step.”

As for the trade rumors, Hoerner understands by now that it is part of the gig as a Major League player.

"It’s just a part of being close to free agency and not having a trade clause, right?” Hoerner said. “I love playing for the Cubs. I think that was evident in signing [an extension in ‘23] initially, and hopefully evident just in how I approach the game, and the gratitude of being here and playing in front of these fans.

“I’m so excited for this season and the roster we have going into this year, that being the absolute main focus and things falling in line from there.”

If the roster stays intact as currently set up, it means Shaw will move all over the field.

On Saturday night, Shaw was at home when his wife saw a news notification and alerted him to the Bregman signing. The 24-year-old infielder -- a first-round pick in 2023 -- was curious at first what it meant for his place on the field. He has since had conversations with manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer about the situation.

“Of course, you’re kind of looking at it like, ‘Ah man, where am I going to play?’” Shaw said on Friday. “You get a little anxious about those things. The team knows me good enough at this point to know that I just want to be prepared when the season comes around. So, of course, I immediately have questions, like, ‘Am I going to go here? Am I going to go there?’

“And they’ve been transparent with me, just kind of helping me to understand the role -- moving to different positions, giving guys an off-day here and there. And I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve played a lot of outfield in my life, so I’ll play some outfield. Probably back up at a couple different positions in the infield. It’s going to be a unique year for sure, but something that I definitely look forward to.”

Counsell pointed to how Shaw became a Gold Glove finalist at third base last season with little experience previously at that spot. That being the case, the manager is confident that Shaw can handle bouncing around and being worked into the outfield group.

Counsell also did not view his roster as a complete picture.

“I don’t think we have enough guys, yet,” Counsell said. “If you think there’s too many, I don’t know what you’re looking at -- really.”