Nico Hoerner secures a massive six-year, $141 million deal. Discover the historic payday and the smart strategy behind this crucial Cubs extension.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner got a nice payday.
It was reported after Thursday’s 10-4 loss that the Cubs and Hoerner agreed to a six-year extension. With Hoerner in the final year of his deal, this was something the front office had to take care of before he became a free agent next offseason.
While we didn’t know the full details of his extension when it was announced, we now know what Hoerner will be paid over the course of his six-year extension. The 28-year-old signed a six-year, $141 million extension with the Cubs.
This $141 million deal is a massive payday for Hoerner. It marks the fourth-largest contract signed by a second baseman in MLB history, only behind Robinson Cano (10 years, $240 million), Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million), and Jose Altuve (five years, $151 million).
The interesting thing about Hoerner's new contract extension is that it includes deferrals. The Cubs don’t usually like to include deferrals on contracts because they don’t want to be tied down to money in the future.
However, the front office was willing to go to that length to keep Hoerner around for the next six years.
With the deferrals included in Hoerner's extension, his current contract value is around $130-$135 million. So, the deferrals on his extension aren’t much. The deferrals could range from $6 million to $11 million when all is said and done.
This is definitely a big contract for Hoerner. He gets over $20 million per season and becomes the second-highest-paid second baseman in baseball. Semien is the only player with a bigger contract at the position.
Although the money included in Hoerner's $141 million extension came as a bit of a surprise, he is absolutely worth that money. He has been one of the most consistent players on this Cubs team in recent seasons and does so many things at an elite level.
Last year, Hoerner hit .297 with seven home runs, 29 doubles, 61 RBI, and 29 stolen bases across 156 games. He also won the second Gold Glove of his career and finished with a career-high 6.2 WAR.
Whatever it took to keep him around was a good move by the front office. The team couldn’t let him walk in free agency next offseason, and Hoerner earned a nice payday following several strong seasons with the Cubs.
He definitely deserves that $141 million to stay in Chicago through the 2032 season.