Wow! Nico Hoerner’s six-year contract extension is reportedly worth $141 million, according to Jon Heyman, among others. The Chicago Cubs made sure that Hoerner was not going to be tempted in free agency and sign elsewhere, as they once again dipped their toes into the deferred money game to get an extension done with the Gold Glove second baseman.

The $141 million contract for Hoerner is now the fourth biggest guarantee in MLB history at his position behind Robinson Cano, Marcus Semien and Jose Altuve.

Heyman, along with fellow New York Post reporter Joel Sherman, said the deal includes deferrals. According to Sherman, the current value of the extension is estimated at the mid-$130 million range.

That number might be staggering at first glance, but you have to remember that the upcoming free agent class for second basemen, and especially for shortstops, is extremely thin next offseason. So, there’s no doubt that if Hoerner went out and had another good season in 2026, he was going to be one of the premier free agents available.

The Cubs had to pay up right now to secure Hoerner long-term, and they did, by making him the third-highest paid player on the team behind Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman.

(Previous Update)

In the grand scheme of things, the Chicago Cubs came out winners on Opening Day as the organization once again secured another one of their home-grown stars. A few days after agreeing to a long-term extension with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jed Hoyer was able to agree on a six-year contract extension with Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner.

The Cubs now have their entire infield locked up through at least the 2029 season, and Hoerner joins Crow-Armstrong as the two linked stars who will be with the team through the 2032 season. Bleacher Nation’s Michael Cerami first broke the news of the Hoerner extension following Thursday’s season-opener at Wrigley Field against the Washington Nationals.

A tough-look 10-4 loss bummed out Cubs fans, but those feelings quickly turned to joy as news spread of Hoerner’s new contract. The infielder was set to become a free agent following the 2026 season, and because of a weak shortstop class there was a chance Hoerner would have signed a big-money deal elsewhere as one of the top options in the middle of the infield.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and New York Post MLB reporter Jon Heyman have both said the Hoerner extension is for six years.

Back in 2023, Hoerner and the Cubs agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal before Opening Day.

Dating back to 2022, Hoerner has been remarkably consistent in all aspects of his game. Even when he wasn’t tearing it up at the plate, Hoerner made it up for it with outstanding defense and great base running.

2022: 135 games, 281/.327/.410, 20 stolen bases, 108 wRC+, 13 OAA, 10 DRS, 4.3 fWAR
2023: 150 games, .283/.346/.383, 43 stolen bases, 103 wRC+, 13 OAA, 11 DRS, 4.5 fWAR
2024: 151 games, .273/.335/.373, 31 stolen bases, 102 wRC+, 10 OAA, 4 DRS, 3.9 fWAR
2025: 156 games, .297/.345/.394, 29 stolen bases, 109 wRC+, 14 OAA, 17 DRS, 4.8 fWAR

Hoerner, 28, had his best season in 2025. Not only did he have a 4.8 fWAR and win his second Gold Glove award at second base, but he also led all the players in his position with a 6.2 bWAR. That mark was tied with Juan Soto for seventh-best in MLB among position players.

A great day for the future of the Chicago Cubs. Well done. This is what fans have been asking for years. Keep your good players.

For more, check out the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast, where we had a live reaction to the breaking news.

Sure, it came in garbage time, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying for Ian Happ, who absolutely crushed a ball in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day. The Chicago Cubs lost 10-4, and this fly ball from Happ’s bat was only going to pad his stats, but it’s still insane how much yesterday’s wind at Wrigley Field affected this ball.

This wasn’t only supposed to be a home run, but you’re looking at Happ hitting a blast onto Waveland. Left-handed pitcher Cionel Perez left a 96mph fastball right down the middle of the plate, and Happ didn’t miss it. The Cubs’ left fielder crushed it, 108.5mph exit velocity, with a 31-degree launch angle.

The wind was blowing in from left field on Thursday, and unfortunately for Happ it got up to 30mph when he came to the plate in the ninth inning. You saw everyone’s reaction; it was crushed, but then James Wood started to fade back in after returning from the warning track.

All Happ could do was shake his head, grind his teeth, and trot back to the dugout. Meanwhile, Wood and Perez were laughing at how incredibly lucky they got.

Since 2024, there have been 27 batted balls hit between 108-109 mph at a 32° LA.

25 of those 27 went for HR and they averaged 419 ft.

Yesterday, Ian Happ hit a ball 108.5 mph at a 32° LA, but it only went 320 ft. The wind was not friendly at Wrigley on Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/9Scxckt525

— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) March 27, 2026

That was a guaranteed home run off the bat, but according to MLB.com’s Mike Petriello, the wind cost Happ 113 feet of distance. So, instead of a 435-foot home run out of Wrigley Field and onto the street, it was a flyout that only went 322 feet.

Yesterday, Ian Happ hit an absolute tank for a home run. 109 off the bat. 32 deg LA.

.. except, he didn't. Thanks to our friends at @WeatherApplied, we know that the wind cost him *113 feet* of distance — which is now the largest stop in the data.

–> https://t.co/pTKQnRH2FP pic.twitter.com/A8ciftmKD7

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) March 27, 2026

According to the data available, no other flyout has ever been affected as much as that ball hit by Happ.

The Chicago Cubs officially have a new core in place, as Nico Hoerner’s reported six-year contract extension cemented it. The new deal, which was revealed the same day the Cubs officially announced Pete Crow-Armstrong’s extension, also means more changes are coming around the field for the team.

First, the entire infield is locked up through at least the 2029 season.

1B Michael Busch – under team control through 2029
2B Nico Hoerner – signed through 2032
SS Dansby Swanson – signed through 2029
3B Alex Bregman – signed through 2030

Matt Shaw’s Future

Naturally, that leads to the first major question, looking at the rest of the roster, and you have to wonder about Matt Shaw’s future. Some fans have been quick to put Shaw back into trade talks, which could come up again as soon as this summer if the Cubs need to add a major piece for the stretch run. Shaw played pretty good defense at third base in 2025, and for a few years, he appeared to be the eventual replacement at second base if Hoerner moved on in free agency. That thought became much more prevalent after the Cubs signed Alex Bregman this past offseason, which meant Shaw was no longer the third baseman.

However, it doesn’t really seem like Shaw will be the odd man out. He was instructed to learn outfield defense this offseason, and right now he’s filling in for Seiya Suzuki in right field.

What Corner Outfielder Stays, If Any?

Shaw seems much more likely to stay with the Cubs and continue his career in either corner position in the outfield, which means Ian Happ or Suzuki won’t be returning to the team in 2027.

Happ and Suzuki are both headed to free agency following the 2026 season, and Happ’s previous comments suggest a player who knows what’s in his future. Happ is currently the longest tenured player in the organization, but he hasn’t had any extension talks with the Cubs, and neither has Suzuki.

Both are corner outfielders that are 30+ years old. There’s a good chance that the Cubs will look into possibly re-signing one of the two outfielders, but they’ll let them test free agency and circle back to see if the market works in the team’s favor.

Right now, I’m projecting Shaw as the Opening Day left fielder for the Cubs in 2027, with Happ on a different team. I don’t have a strong feeling about how the Cubs feel about Suzuki.

What About the Prospects?

Heading over to infield prospects, Jefferson Rojas and Pedro Ramirez suddenly don’t have a clear path for everyday playing time in the majors. Rojas, more than Ramirez, currently has a higher potential as a prospect, but now that Hoerner is locked up at second base, Swanson isn’t moving, which makes it a lot harder for any upcoming infielders to be anything more than a bench player.

Yet I think we sometimes forget how young some of these minor leaguers are. Rojas has been a popular name in the Cubs’ farm system for a few years, and you might be surprised to learn that he’s still 20-years-old. The right-handed hitting shortstop finished last year at Double-A, and after some struggles there, Rojas still has room to grow, as he continues his development.

However, as we saw throughout spring training, Rojas has immense talent, and many of us thought he’d be lined up to contribute in the majors soon. Now? Well, Rojas’ timeline probably gets delayed, but then you have to wonder if the Cubs would use him in a big trade if he continues to raise his stock as a prospect.

We talked about these things and had more fun reacting to the Hoerner extension news that broke after Opening Day on Thursday. Check out the latest Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.

We’re still waiting on the details for Nico Hoerner’s six-year contract extension with the Chicago Cubs, but for a quick moment, let’s talk about his pivotal at-bat on Opening Day against the Washington Nationals.

In the end, it may not have mattered, but with the ABS challenge system now in MLB, it will become another factor fans debate from time to time. The Cubs were trailing 8-4 in the seventh inning after Pete Crow-Armstrong put down a perfect bunt down the third base line that drove in Michael Busch. Hoerner stepped up to the plate with runners at first and second with one out.

Washington reliever Brad Lord was shaky in his relief appearance, having already allowed a run, and then he fell behind 3-0 on Hoerner. A 3-0 fastball dotted in the inside corner for strike one, and then Lord doubled up, going inside on another fastball that was called strike two.

A few pitches later, Hoerner grounded into an inning-ending double that killed off the Cubs’ scoring threat.

The Cubs did not challenge a single pitch in their Opening Day 10-4 loss to the Nationals, and if there was ever a spot that called for one it was that 3-1 pitch from Lord to Hoerner. In the screenshot below you can it’s just off the plate, but it looks a lot more definitive on Baseball Savant’s graphic. The pitch was a ball, which meant if Hoerner would have challenged the call the Cubs would have had the bases loaded with one out, and Carson Kelly up at the plate with Moises Ballesteros on-deck.

It was the seventh inning, and the Cubs were down by four. There was really no reason not to challenge even if Hoerner wasn’t 100% confident. You get two guaranteed challenges to begin the game, and you can keep challenging after the first two if you keep getting them right. In this case, even if Hoerner was wrong the Cubs would have still had one challenge left.

But again, it all comes down to the situation. The Cubs were already trailing by four, and this was going to be their best chance at making the game close.

So, this should be a talking point inside the Cubs’ clubhouse. Whether it’s Craig Counsell or the entire coaching staff, they have to make a point of telling players and making it clear that these are the moments in games when one pitch can make a huge difference. Hopefully, it is a learning experience for all.

There was another call earlier in the game that also led to runs against the Cubs, and it came when Ben Brown came in relief of Matthew Boyd in the fourth inning. A 2-1 sinker that was supposed to be insider, missed it’s mark and forced Carson Kelly to reach across his body to make the grab. At first glance it seemed like an obvious ball, which is what the umpire called, but upon replay it still hit the strike zone.

Jacob Young then hit a two-run home run on the next pitch, taking a 3-1 fastball out to the basket in right field that gave the Nationals a 7-2 lead.

That one is maybe a little more nitpicky, and I guess what we learned on Opening Day is that the ABS challenge system is just another thing for fans to complain about.

Hey, at least Nico Hoerner is signing an extension, so Opening Day wasn’t so bad after all.