(670 The Score) As the Cubs set out with hopes of contention in 2023 following two years of retooling, they now have a new core of young players in place. With that also comes another round of contracts to address.
The team is hopeful to lock in All-Star outfielder Ian Happ and second baseman Nico Hoerner on contract extensions, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Wednesday afternoon.
“With both guys, we’ve had productive conversations throughout the winter and spring,” Hoyer told the Bernstein & Holmes Show. “The relationship is really good. I think our desire to keep those guys long term is strong. I hope that at some point, we can match up on a deal.
“That is absolutely our goal. We’d love to reach a deal with those guys. I hope it happens. Obviously, we have to have things line up correctly for that to happen, but certainly that is the desire. I think they’re both really good players, I think they’re both really good players, they’re both really good leaders, they both represent the organization exceptionally well. That’s the hope.”
Happ hit .271 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs while earning his first career All-Star appearance and a Gold Glove in 2022. He's set to play the final year of his current contract in 2023. Hoerner hit .281 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 2022. He has three more years left on his current deal. Hoerner shifted from shortstop to second base after the Cubs signed star shortstop Dansby Swanson in free agency this past winter.
After finishing 74-88 last season, the Cubs signed Swanson, former MVP outfielder Cody Bellinger, first baseman Eric Hosmer, right-hander Jameson Taillon and others in free agency.
The Cubs last reached the postseason in 2020 in the shortened 60-game regular season, then parted ways with core players in Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez in the following months to mark the start of a rebuilding process.
The Cubs open the 2023 regular season by hosting the Brewers on March 30 at Wrigley Field.
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