TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees opened full-squad workouts this week with most of their 2025 roster intact. They re-signed Cody Bellinger. They brought back Paul Goldschmidt. The offense that led the American League in runs and home runs returns nearly whole.
And yet, a persistent question keeps surfacing around the Yankees camp: Is Brian Cashman done dealing?
The name at the center of the speculation is Nico Hoerner. The Chicago Cubs second baseman has been linked to the Yankees for weeks now, and fresh reporting suggests the conversation between the two clubs is far from dead.
Why Hoerner keeps coming up in Yankees trade talks
The dominoes started falling when the Cubs signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract this winter. Bregman locked down third base in Chicago, which bumped Matt Shaw from his natural position into a utility role. That left Hoerner, a two-time Gold Glove winner, as the odd man out on a roster with too many infielders and not enough runway.
Hoerner is entering the final year of his deal and is owed $12 million for 2026. He turns 29 in May. He is coming off his best season, posting a 114 OPS+ across 156 games while racking up 6.2 bWAR. He hit .369 against left-handed pitching with just a 5.4 strikeout percentage. Over the past four seasons, he has averaged 30 stolen bases per year.
For a Yankees team that has been searching for another right-handed bat and more speed on the bases, Hoerner checks every box.
Sherman calls Hoerner ‘an ideal candidate’ for the Yankees
The latest wave of buzz traces back to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who reported that the Yankees have checked in on Hoerner. Sherman did not mince words about the fit.
“An ideal candidate for the Yankees would be Nico Hoerner. The Cubs were open to moving him at points during this offseason, especially after the signing of Alex Bregman that could allow Matt Shaw to shift to second base. Among his many assets, Hoerner is an elite defensive second baseman, an outstanding baserunner and someone who hit .369 vs. lefties last year with just a 5.4 strikeout percentage. But he is due $12 million for 2026 before becoming a free agent, and the Cubs would have to get a strong return to consider dealing him,” Sherman wrote.
That report kept the trade chatter alive heading into spring training. And two prominent Yankees-focused outlets pushed the conversation further over the weekend.
FanSided’ Mark Powell proposed a specific trade package that would send pitching prospects RHP Henry Lalane and LHP Kyle Carr to Chicago in exchange for Hoerner, noting that the Yankees’ system depth at starting pitcher makes them “an ideal trade partner” for the Cubs. The piece argued that with the Red Sox now out of the Hoerner sweepstakes after acquiring Caleb Durbin, the Cubs have lost leverage and the price tag should come down.
The Yanks Go Yard staff Stephen Parello echoed that sentiment, writing that “hope isn’t lost” for New York to land Hoerner. That analysis called Hoerner “a right-handed contact maven with an exceptional glove” and argued that 38-year-old Goldschmidt alone does not solve the Yankees’ need for a difference-making right-handed bat.
Where would Hoerner fit on the Yankees roster?
That is the tricky part. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is entrenched at second base after earning an All-Star nod last season. Shifting Chisholm back to third base is one option, but his shoulder barked at that position in 2025, making it a risky move.
The more intriguing scenario involves Hoerner sliding to shortstop. He last played the position in 2022 and posted a stellar 13 outs above average there. Anthony Volpe is set to miss the start of the season after shoulder surgery. If the Yankees acquired Hoerner, they could plug him in at short immediately and sort out the long-term picture later.
That kind of flexibility is rare. Hoerner can play second, short and third. He runs the bases at an elite level. And he brings a contact-first approach that would balance a Yankees lineup loaded with power hitters who strike out at high rates.
The Cashman factor and what it would cost
The biggest obstacle may not be the Cubs. It may be the man running the Yankees front office.
Cashman has long been reluctant to trade top prospect capital for players on expiring contracts. Nico Hoerner becomes a free agent after 2026, meaning the Yankees would be renting him for one season. The Cubs reportedly want pitching in return, and the Yankees have the minor league arms to make a deal work without gutting their top-100 talent.
FanSided’s proposed package centered on pitching prospects just outside the top-100 range, including Chase Lalane, who is approaching that threshold. Chicago’s system beyond Cade Horton is thin on starting pitching depth, which gives the Yankees a natural match.
Whether Cashman pulls the trigger is another matter. He could wait until the trade deadline, when Hoerner’s price might drop even further. But waiting carries its own risks. Another contender could swoop in. The Tigers, Giants and Dodgers have all been connected to Hoerner this winter, per CBS Sports.
Spring training deals are not off the table
The Yankees have made it through the bulk of free agency. The roster is largely set. But spring training swaps happen every year, and the Hoerner chatter has only grown louder as camp opens.
Hoerner himself acknowledged the reality of his situation at the Cubs Convention in January. “It’s just a part of being close to free agency and not having a trade clause, right?” he said.
His Cubs teammate Dansby Swanson was more direct about wanting Hoerner to stay. “Nico means the world to me and to this team, just who he is as a person,” Swanson said. “He’s somebody that’s just a darn good player, a really good winner, and irreplaceable, really.”
Irreplaceable to the Cubs, maybe. But the Yankees are hoping Chicago decides that a strong prospect haul is worth more than one final season of a player who could walk for nothing next winter. As long as Hoerner remains on the Cubs’ roster with no extension in sight, this trade buzz will keep humming.
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