Nico Hoerner is on the final year of his three-year extesnion with the Cubs, and the Yankees are a team that have inquired about acquiring him in the past.
Sources tell Empire Sports Media that the Cubs and Yankees held trade conversations regarding Hoerner and the idea of trading Clarke Schmidt for him.
It’s unknown if either side would have had to offer more or if it was a one-for-one swap, but another pitcher who came up in trade conversations between the two teams (not for Hoerner specifically) is Will Warren.
With Anthony Volpe not being the hitter fans hoped he’d be and GM Brian Cashman wanting to decrease the strikeouts in the bottom of the order, could the Yankees once again acquire about Hoerner to become their shortstop?
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Why Nico Hoerner Would Be A Perfect Fit For the Yankees
I want to preface this article by saying the only reporting I’m doing here is mentioning that the Yankees and Cubs discussed a potential Nico Hoerner trade last winter.
There’s no smoke regarding a trade of Hoerner outside of a speculative MLB.com article considering him their best trade candidate, which was the inspiration for this thought experiment.
With that out of the way, the fit here would be impeccable, as Nico Hoerner is an elite defensive infielder who has been an excellent glove at shortstop as well.
Furthermore, he’s a right-handed hitter that has produced an OPS+ north of 100 in each of the last five seasons which is a huge plus for a team that lacks RHBs after Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
He produces an OBP in the .330-.340 range and hits between .270-.290 annually, relying a lot on his elite contact skills as in 2025 Nico Hoerner ran the third-lowest K% in baseball (7.6%), trailing only Jacob Wilson and Luis Arraez.
He would immediately address some of the bottom-of-the-order strikeout issues that Brian Cashman mentioned at the Covenant House SleepOut event, and it would give the Yankees one of the deepest lineups in baseball.
Unlike other shortstop solutions such as trading for CJ Abrams or signing Bo Bichette, this move would not compromise the infield defense at all, adding a high-level defender who is also a top-tier baserunner.
Since 2023 Hoerner is eighth in BsR (16.0) and one of just eight players with at least 100 stolen bases, further leaning into their ideal vision of a roster that can slug, get on-base, play defense, and take extra bases.
Aaron Boone noted on Talkin’ Yanks that the Yankees had not been thrown out much on the bases in the first half, but that it was an indication that they weren’t aggressive enough.
By adding players such as Jose Caballero and letting some of their already-existing talent run wild, the ended up with the third-most stolen bases and 12th-best BsR in the second-half.
As for how the Yankees could entice the Cubs into trading their rental infielder, I could see someone like Will Warren being a player of interest to Chicago.
They love the archatype of deep-mix supinators, and Warren’s home run issues would be lessened by the more pitcher-friendly dimensions of Wrigley Field.
FanGraphs projects the Cubs’ rotation to produce just 10.5 WAR which is below clubs such as the Yankees, Angels, and Mets who are all seeking additional rotation upgrades.
Sending Anthony Volpe to Chicago would also make a ton of sense because he could get a fresh start and be a strong defensive second baseman in their infield at a low cost for the next few seasons.
It’s just an idea, I’m sure the Cubs would want more than just Warren and Volpe to make a trade of a player that is arguably their best on the roster right now, but maybe the Yankees shoot a call to a frequent trade partner.
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