Bold trades and shrewd acquisitions define Hoyer's successful tenure, rebuilding the Cubs into a contender. Discover his three most impactful decisions.
Jed Hoyer has been the Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations for a little over five years. He officially took over this role in November of 2020 when former president of baseball operations Theo Epstein stepped down.
Hoyer worked hand in hand with Epstein over the years. He joined the club as an Executive Vice President/General Manager in 2011, and Hoyer served as Epstein’s right-hand man until he stepped down in 2020.
Epstein didn’t do Hoyer any favors before he stepped down. He left the Cubs in a rough spot, with the team’s play declining heading into the 2021 season. However, Hoyer has worked hard to build the Cubs into a World Series contender again.
So, let’s look into three of Hoyer’s best moves since he has been the Cubs' president of baseball operations.
Breaking Up The Core
A lot of Cubs fans didn’t agree with Hoyer breaking up the core that won the franchise a World Series in 2016. The team just made the playoffs during the shortened 2020 season and was sitting around .500 heading into the MLB Trade Deadline.
Instead of sticking with that core for one potential final run, Hoyer traded all of them away at the 2021 trade deadline. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez were all dealt within the span of 24 hours.
That was absolutely the right time to trade away those three core players and start restocking the farm system with more prospects. Things were definitely trending down, and there was no more World Series run with this core. Hoyer traded away Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez at the right time.
Acquiring Pete Crow-Armstrong
When Hoyer decided to trade away Baez at the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline, he was able to land the New York Mets’ No. 5 prospect in Pete Crow-Armstrong. While Crow-Armstrong wasn’t even the Cubs' first choice in these trade talks with the Mets, Chicago eventually settled on him.
Looking back at the Baez for Pete Crow-Armstrong trade, that will go down as one of Hoyer’s best moves in the big chair and one of the worst moves the Mets have made in recent seasons. That’s because Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a superstar in the big leagues.
The 23-year-old just had a 31-home run, 35-stolen base campaign in 2025 and is becoming the face of Chicago sports. Crow-Armstrong’s development has really moved up the Cubs' World Series window.
Buying Low on Michael Busch
Hoyer has done a relatively solid job of knowing when to acquire certain players since taking over as the Cubs president of baseball operations. Two offseasons ago, he saw that there was nowhere for Michael Busch to play on that current Dodgers team.
So, he made the move to buy low on a player who struggled in his first taste of the big leagues in 2023. Busch hit just .167 with two home runs, seven RBI, and three doubles across his first 81 plate appearances.
Hoyer was able to acquire Busch during the 2024 offseason by sending two prospects in Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope to the Dodgers. Although Hope is quickly climbing up prospect rankings, the Cubs have a star in the making in Busch. The lefty slugger hit a career-high 34 home runs in 2025.