Jed Hoyer has had a great career as a baseball executive, and his latest work with the Chicago Cubs has improved his resume.
Hoyer came to the Cubs as the general manager under president of baseball operations Theo Epstein after the 2011 season. In 2020, he became the new head honcho when Epstein resigned, taking on a five-year contract that is now set to expire after the season.
There have been bumps along the way, as the Cubs missed out on golden opportunities to make the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. But this season, Chicago has built a great roster and sits within one game of the best record in baseball.
Of course, the team ahead of them is the surging Milwaukee Brewers, their arch-nemesis. And with the future of superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker uncertain beyond 2025, one has to wonder if there’s still a chance Hoyer’s future could be too.
That’s why it’s not a total shock that insider Jim Bowden listed Hoyer as one of the six executives facing “the most pressure” at the upcoming Jul. 31 trade deadline.
“Hoyer and his GM, Carter Hawkins, are signed through the 2025 season, and both deserve contract extensions for the great job they’ve done in hiring manager Craig Counsell and rebuilding the Cubs’ roster into a legitimate World Series contender,” wrote Bowden. “However, if ownership hasn’t extended their contracts by now, there’s pressure on both to keep adding at the deadline to get this team over the top.”
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“The Cubs need to be active at the deadline. They’re focused on acquiring a starting pitcher and an upgrade at third base as well as bullpen and bench reinforcements… After two straight seasons in which they went 83-79, the Cubs are in a much stronger position this year, but Hoyer and company need to deliver at this deadline.”
It’s fair to say at this point that the Cubs are all-in. But Hoyer has to hold up his end of that bargain by delivering the upgrades Chicago needs, because the entire National League is full of legitimate World Series contenders.
If he brings in a decent haul, it’s hard to find any justification for not extending his contract. But until he has that new contract, we can’t say with certainty that his future in Chicago is secure.
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