Cubs: Nico Hoerner is an option for center field

If the Chicago Cubs are serious about trading for a second baseman this offseason, Nico Hoerner could easily be moved to center field, thus filling another need.

If the Chicago Cubs are hell-bent on trading for a second baseman this offseason, the question to immediately follow is what to do with Nico Hoerner? The 22-year-old was impressive in 20 games this past season as a September call-up. Hoerner wasn’t expected to make his major league debut this year but several injuries prompted the move. He did his best to convince the front office that the second base gig is his to lose entering the 2020 season, slashing 0.282/0.305/0.436 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI in his brief stint.

The Chicago Tribune recently reported that Whit Merrifield could be a priority for the Cubs this offseason, who were previously linked to the Royals leadoff man around the trade deadline. “Merrifield will be a priority this winter”, wrote Mark Gonzales “And there’s a match with the Royals involving a combination of an outfielder and infielder.” Merrifield doesn’t garner the national attention that he deserves because of the team he plays on, but he led the American League in hits the past two years, including 206 in 2019. He has a fantastic on-base-percentage at 0.344 for his career and would kill two birds with one stone.

As noted, a trade for Merrifield would pump the brakes on Hoerner playing second base. Under contract through the 2023 season, Merrifield would provide the Cubs with some longevity at the second base position so the Cubs would be forced to consider other options for Hoerner. One position that he could potentially be a good fit is in center field. The Cubs have struggled to find a replacement for Dexter Fowler since he departed after the 2016 season. It appeared that Albert Almora was blossoming into the player the team had hoped he would be but really fell off a cliff this past season, especially after his foul ball into the stands against the Astros.

Hoerner has very little experience playing the outfield, outside of 11 games at Double-A Tennessee and 1 game for the big league club this year. He committed an error at the Double-A level so a position switch would more than likely see Hoerner start his 2020 season with the Triple-A club and solely playing center field.

In the meantime, the Cubs could give Ian Happ another look if they still feel he can contribute at the big league level, although he could be an attractive piece in a trade this offseason. With the unknown future of Nick Castellanos and the track record that Scott Boras has, it might make some sense for the Cubs to look internally to solve their outfield and contact rate issues. Recent trends have also proven that high-profile free agents have coincided their signings with pitchers and catchers reports, so the Cubs may not want to wait that long.

Coming out of Stanford, Hoerner received high praise for his ability to put the bat on the ball, but he really surprised a lot of folks with the pop in his bat. The Cubs are going to have to get creative with the log-jam on the infield to get players their time to shine, especially if they make a move to acquire Merrifield.