NEWSLETTER
Add Nico Hoerner to the list of folks associated with the Chicago Cubs who believe they are close. Who believe, on the basis of what we’ve seen this season, that 2023 can be a competitive year for the Cubs if they just go out and have a quality offseason.
Here’s how Hoerner summed up the state of things for the organization at the close of the season, per Cubs.com:
“All you can do,” Hoerner said, “is make the most of opportunities and provide the organization and fan base with a belief in us heading in the right direction. And I think our staff and our players did a pretty good job of that. We could have done better this year, but I think that’s always true. And I think overall, we brought it every day and controlled our end of it pretty well — to a point where I do believe that with the addition of some more talent on our team, I think we’re in a place to compete.”
Hoerner has previously been vocal about the importance of winning, both in developing prospects and in recruiting free agent talent. You know that he was happy to see the Cubs finish out the second half at 39-31.
And now we know he also believes in where things stand with the organization heading into an offseason where the Cubs really can and really should making meaningful improvements for 2023.
While we’re on the subject of Hoerner, winning, and the offseason: you would like to hope that Hoerner’s belief in where things are headed might make him all the more amenable to an extension. The Cubs will have to talk to Hoerner about his first trip through arbitration anyway, so why not see if you can put together something a little longer?
