CHICAGO (AP) 鈥� Nico Hoerner and the Chicago Cubs finalized their $141 million, six-year contract Sunday that establishes the Gold Glove second baseman as a franchise cornerstone going forward.
The team announced the move before its at Wrigley Field. Hoerner could have become a free agent after this season, but instead chose to stay with the club that drafted him.
鈥淚t means the world,鈥� said Hoerner, joined by his fianc茅e and family at a postgame news conference. 鈥淭here鈥檇 be nothing more satisfying than winning a championship in the place you started.”
The contract runs from 2027-32 and includes deferred money.
Hoerner’s long-term deal comes days after All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong agreed to The Cubs announced Crow-Armstrong鈥檚 deal after to the Nationals on opening day.
The 28-year-old Hoerner was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford. He is starting his last season under that was finalized in March 2023.
鈥淥ur kind of player. Plays like a Cub; needs to be a Cub,鈥� president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said, recalling the team’s early scouting reports on Hoerner. 鈥淗e鈥檚 so unbelievably consistent.
鈥淪uper-easy decision for us and we couldn鈥檛 be happier he鈥檚 going to be with us for a long time.鈥�
Hoerner was a key performer last year as Chicago won 92 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020. He batted .297 with seven homers, 61 RBIs and 29 steals in a career-best 156 games. Hoerner also won his second Gold Glove.
He hit .419 (13 for 31) in the playoffs with a .424 on-base percentage and a .973 OPS.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good group and I think we鈥檙e capable of so much more,鈥� Hoerner said.
Hoerner made his major league debut in September 2019, hitting .282 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 20 games down the stretch. He had a breakout performance in 2022, when he batted .281 with 10 homers, 55 RBIs and 20 steals in 135 games.
Hoerner, who won his first Gold Glove in 2023, is a .282 hitter with 36 homers, 279 RBIs and 132 steals in 706 career games.
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This story has been corrected to show the final score of Sunday’s game was 6-3.
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