The Cubs must extend both Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki. Their standout performances and critical roles demand immediate contract extensions before Opening Day.
The Chicago Cubs will enter the 2026 season with multiple key players in the final year of their contracts. Those players include Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Seiya Suzuki.
There hasn’t been much news on the extension talk surrounding any of these players this offseason. Hoerner told reporters in Arizona last month that he plans to keep things quiet on that front, and both Happ and Suzuki said they haven’t been approached by the front office yet.
However, the Cubs should be doing all they can to extend both Hoerner and Suzuki before Opening Day. Both players are key parts of the 2026 roster and remain integral to the team’s future.
Both Hoerner and Suzuki are also coming off the best seasons of their career in 2025. Hoerner hit .297 with seven home runs, 29 doubles, 61 RBI, and 29 stolen bases, and Suzuki launched career-highs in both home runs (32), RBI (103), and walks (71).
There is just no way that the Cubs can let either play walk after this season.
Hoerner is only 28 years old and might be the most consistent player on the roster. He has finished with at least a 4.2 WAR in three of the past four seasons while playing Gold Glove defense at second base. Last year, the Cubs infielder led the team with a 6.2 WAR.
As for Suzuki, he brings the power at the top of Chicago’s lineup. He was among some of the top power hitters in the game last season, ranking in the 85th percentile or better in expected slugging (.493), barrel rate (16.6%), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (40.2%).
It’s simply going to be hard to replace both players next year if they leave. That’s why the Cubs should be looking to extend both Hoerner and Suzuki before March 26th.
There’s probably a good chance that both Hoerner and Suzuki want to stay in Chicago for the foreseeable future. Hoerner was drafted by the Cubs in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft, and Suzuki has been with the team since signing a five-year deal out of Japan in 2022.
“I want to work hard and perform well, and hopefully they say yes,” Suzuki said via interpreter to reporters in Arizona last month.
So, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer should be looking to get a deal done. There’s just too much risk in letting both of them test free agency next offseason. Between Hoerner and Suzuki, they had a combined 8.8 WAR last season.