Dodgers face a looming NL West threat as rival targets Nico Hoerner

The Cubs' Alex Bregman signing has allowed a new Hot Trade Candidate of the Week to enter the chat. Nico Hoerner, a fan favorite and homegrown Cub, could be on the trade block, and he's already drawing interest from the Yankees. Matt Shaw's not totally out of the woods yet either, but Hoerner only has one season left on three-year extension and would be easier to pry away from Chicago.

The Dodgers aren't hurting for a second baseman, but their interest in Bo Bichette suggests they're looking for an upgrade. Robbing Hoerner from right under New York's nose would be a nice feather in the cap of Andrew Friedman's offseason.

But, inevitably, the Yankees aren't the only ones interested. Jeff Passan reported on Tuesday that the Giants are "aggressively pursuing a second baseman" and have been in contact with the Cubs about Hoerner (and with the Cardinals about Brendan Donovan).

As Passan points out: "An infield of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Donovan or Hoerner and Rafael Devers would be among MLB's best."

The Giants have been a little bit of a wild card under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey but have yet to make a truly splashy free agent deal. Maybe they've just been lying in wait this whole time.

Division rival Giants threatening a Nico Hoerner trade would give Dodgers something to worry about in 2026

A Chapman-Adames-Donovan/Hoerner-Devers infield would have a few pitfalls — Adames' bat has been a little disappointing since he left the Brewers and Devers still isn't a very good defensive player after moving to first base — but there's no denying that it would give the Dodgers something to worry about.

Chapman, Adames, and Devers combined for a 124 OPS+ in 2025, and adding either Donovan or Hoerner would keep the Giants' infield hovering around that number while making their middle infield almost impenetrable. Hoerner has two Gold Gloves at second and posted 15 OAA in 2025; Donovan was an All-Star in 2025 and plays his best defense at second.

The Dodgers can and probably should enter the conversation for Hoerner, if they're not making some calls already. He's only 28, a free agent after the 2026 season, is only making $12 million this year, the Dodgers have a far better farm system than either the Giants or Yankees, and getting him would directly hurt a division rival and/or a very possible World Series opponent. You can't really lose.