Anyone who has followed the career of Nico Hoerner knows his home is at second base.
While he played as a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs last season, he was a second baseman to start his career.
However, Hoerner is a special talent that has found himself able to play both sides of the second base bag.
With the addition of Dansby Swanson, Hoerner will go back to his second base position.
But his move gives the Cubs a great opportunity to make a trade.
No, they will not trade Hoerner.
The person the Cubs will probably trade now is second baseman Nick Madrigal.
Madrigal served as the Cubs’ second baseman for 59 games in 2022 and can be a trade piece.
With the Boston Red Sox now needing a second baseman, Madrigal can be that player.
Gotta wonder what changed from the end of the season until now with Trevor Story’s elbow, assuming it’s the same injury he had dating back to 2021.
Red Sox are in a real tough spot up the middle now.
Not going to be easy to plug both of those holes.
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) January 10, 2023
While Madrigal had an injury of his own that took him out for most of 2022, he’s ready for 2023.
At 25-years-old, he has some value over the 30-year-old Trevor Story.
He’s a hot bat when he’s healthy, batting .340 in 2020 and .305 in 2021.
While his 2022 season saw his batting average take a nosedive, he can recover.
The Cubs can use his past success, and age, to strike a deal with the Red Sox.
They desperately need help, as Story is out for most of 2023 with his elbow injury.
With the Cubs already having two star players up the middle, they do not need to Madrigal.
So trading him to the Red Sox makes the most sense for both parties.
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