CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs signed second baseman Nico Hoener to a three-year, $35 million extension, according to multiple reports — a small but important step toward the team’s future.
The deal with Hoerner, who had a .281 average and 10 home runs in 2022, buys out two years of arbitration and the first year of free agency.
Cubs President Jed Hoyer had yet to sign a prospect to a multiyear deal before free agency, a strategy many other large-market teams have adopted to gain cost certainty while rewarding players they consider part of their future.
