(670 The Score) With spring training well underway, it's the time of year in which MLB teams are seriously exploring signing young players to contract extensions.
Could the Cubs do just that with any of their core youngsters?
"There's no question, we've tried to extend a lot of these players over the last few years and haven't gotten anything done," general manager Jed Hoyer said on the Bernstein & McKnight Show on Wednesday morning. "Do we want to have some of these players -- their contracts are up after '20 or '21 -- do we want to extend them? Absolutely, we'd be crazy not to. We'll continue having that dialogue.
"We'll try to keep it under the radar. But of course these are players that we hope we can keep long term."
The Cubs' practice is to refrain from discuss contract extensions during the season out of respect to the players but are willing to do so if the player chooses that option, Hoyer said. The Cubs signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo to a long-term extension in May 2013 after serious discussions during that spring.
Rizzo, third baseman Kris Bryant, infielder Javier Baez and outfielder Kyle Schwarber have contracts that expire after the 2021 season. Right-hander Kyle Hendricks is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2020 season. Each is a player who could be in consideration for an extension.
"Any time you have ongoing discussions, it's a positive," Hoyer said. "Both sides learn something about where the other side is. Sometimes you're so far apart, there's no point in continuing. But sometimes you're close and being that close can allow you at some point in the future to rekindle that.
"The fact that these markets have really dragged for so long really extended, I think players are definitely talking about it and thinking about it -- especially if you're playing in place that you like, where you're comfortable."
