3 Chicago Cubs extension candidates not named Willson Contreras

1. Nico Hoerner

Hoerner is currently a little banged up again, after suffering what’s been confirmed as a sprained right ankle after a fluke collision with an umpire in San Diego this week. How long he might be out, or if he’ll need to go on the injured list, is not clear just yet.

Hoerner’s status as a budding young star has faded a little. But amid four stints on the IL last season, he hit .302 with a .751 OPS over 44 games (170 plate appearances) with the Cubs. He’ll never be a big-time home run hitter, but a .300 average with some speed and gap power is just fine. Friday also happens to be his 25th birthday, so he’s definitely part of the future for the Cubs until clearly proven otherwise.

The Cubs signed shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a one-year deal in the offseason, and he is only now on a rehab assignment after suffering a shoulder injury late in spring training. The Cubs were set to have Simmons and Hoerner in their middle infield spots from the start this year, but Hoerner still looks to possibly be the shortstop of the future and he has played there exclusively so far in 2022.

Hoerner has all three years of arbitration in front of him, before he could hit free agency after the 2025 season. The Cubs could look to buy out those years, give themselves cost certainty and give the former top prospect slight raises over even lightly projected arbitration numbers.

The list of current Cubs in line for a contract extension is not long, with or without including Contreras. But youth is served in putting Hoerner No. 1 on this list, which is of course sans Contreras.