Red Sox's Projected Cost For Cubs' Nico Hoerner Revealed By Insider

Worth the squeeze for Boston?

Oct 6, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) rounds the bases after a three run home run from Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) (not pictured) during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are in scramble mode, and it's hard to predict where they'll turn next.

Losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs was a monster disappointment, and four days later, the Red Sox haven't been at the center of many new reports. It's all been speculation about where they could turn next, and the more exciting the option, the harder it is to believe the Red Sox will pull it off.

Take Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, a rumored trade candidate all winter whose rumors have taken off in the wake of the Bregman signing, for example. What's it going to cost the Red Sox to make that move, and how plausible is it that they'll pay the price for just one year of control?

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Hoerner for Tolle/Early on the table?

All winter, left-handed pitchers Connelly Early and Payton Tolle have been grouped together as high-priced trade assets for Boston, and on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic posited that a trade for Hoerner would likely start with one of those two going to Chicago.

"Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner would be a near-ideal fit, just as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte would have been," Rosenthal wrote.

"The Cubs would need to be overwhelmed for Hoerner, but the Red Sox could tempt them with a package that includes a young pitcher such as Connelly Early or Payton Tolle. Of course, the Sox might consider that too high a price for one year of Hoerner. And then if Hoerner departed, it would be Alex Bregman all over again."

Hoerner, who racked up 6.2 bWAR and won his second Gold Glove last year, is arguably a player worth moving one of those young arms for -- provided that the Red Sox could get him signed for more years than just the one they'd be trading for.

Specifically, selling high on Early would be the preferred move for this writer, as Tolle's potential is just barely starting to be tapped. In a perfect world, neither one would have moved and Bregman would still be wearing a Red Sox uniform, of course.

Doing so, however, would necessitate the Red Sox getting uncomfortable, and they've not shown an appetite for such moves in the recent past.

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