The Cubs poked around the shortstop market last offseason, even inquiring about Carlos Correa before he signed with the Twins the first time. This winter, the matter was more pressing, not only because of the strength of the shortstop class for the second year in a row, but also for what acquiring a shortstop would mean for second base.
“The offseason strategy to find a shortstop so we could put Nico [Hoerner] at second was maybe the highest priority,” chairman Tom Ricketts said in a conversation with the Sun-Times last week.
The move had nothing to do with the club’s faith in Hoerner’s ability at shortstop. He ranked second, tied with Francisco Lindor, among major-league shortstops in outs above average last season (13). In fact, he only trailed Dansby Swanson.
It had everything to do with the Cubs’ confidence in Hoerner’s defense and the opportunity to put one of the best middle-infield duos on the field, especially with -defensive-shift limits coming to MLB this season.
“The Cubs have been awesome from the start, as far as communication about position and free agency in general,” Hoerner said during the Cubs Convention last weekend. “Even starting within the season last year, it was all very clear that they trusted me to play shortstop, but there was a lot of talent on the market at that position.”
More telling than anything Hoerner might say publicly was a text message he sent soon after Swanson’s signing.
Swanson was honeymooning overseas, which delayed his reaching out to all his new teammates. Hoerner beat him to it.
“That meant a lot to me,” Swanson said at his introductory news conference. “That’s something that I’ve always tried to do, when I was in Atlanta, when we got new players, to be the first to reach out. Obviously tells a lot about him, and I’m excited to have this partnership over the next however many years.”
The pair has talked more since.
Swanson did get that team list of contact information from Vijay Tekchandani, the director of major-league travel and clubhouse operations. And he met many of his new teammates at the Cubs Convention.
“He’s done the things that I definitely look forward to doing in my career, hopefully,” Hoerner said of Swanson, a World Series winner, All-Star and Gold Glover. “So a great person to play alongside.”
Each pointed out the other’s preoccupation with winning, a trait that also made Hoerner open to moving back to the other side of second base.
“He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Swanson said. “When you can combine that kind of mentality with how I like to do things, that usually fits like a glove — no pun intended.”
With the middle infield set, Nick Madrigal, who has been a second baseman his entire professional career, will take some reps at third base, as well, president of baseball -operations Jed Hoyer said.
“It’s not the way you think of stereotypical third baseman — power, slugger,” Hoyer said. “But he’s a really good hitter, a really good player.”
In his first two seasons in the big leagues, Madrigal impressed with his talent for making contact, posting a .317 batting average with the White Sox before a season-ending hamstring surgery in 2021. But in his fragmented first season on the North Side, Madrigal never sustained a rhythm in the batter’s box. Limited to 59 games by a string of injuries, he hit .249.
Madrigal also will have a chance to fill in when other midfielders are out of the lineup. However, Swanson’s ironman track record doesn’t guarantee many of those opportunities stemming from his side.
In the last three seasons, Swanson has played in all but two Braves regular-season games. He said he already has talked with manager David Ross about playing every day.
“I’m not going to say there was some pushback, but ...” Swanson said. “That’s the job. The job requires 162 games plus whatever is left in October.”
NOTES: The Cubs made first baseman Trey Mancini’s two-year deal official Friday, adding a right-handed hitter who slumped in the second half of last season but has a reputation as an impactful power hitter. To make room for Mancini on the 40-man roster, the Cubs designated left-handed pitcher Anthony Kay for assignment. The club had claimed Kay off waivers from the Blue Jays last month.
• The Cubs announced this week that they signed right-hander Vinny Nittoli to a minor-league contract with an invite to major-league spring training. Right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., whom the Cubs designated for assignment last week to open a roster spot for first baseman Eric Hosmer, cleared waivers. The Cubs outrighted him to Triple-A Iowa.
