It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. There’s no cover charge. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you what the Cubs should do with Nico Hoerner in the wake of the signing of Alex Bregman. I thought I made it clear in setting up the question that I don’t think the Cubs would need to trade Matt Shaw now if the Cubs signed Hoerner to an extension. Simply that it’s untenable to keep him as a backup for more than one year if you think he’s a starting quality second baseman. In any case, I think it would be foolish to trade Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw this winter unless someone completely makes an offer too good to turn down. But if the Cubs sign Hoerner to extension, they have to start looking for a market for Matt Shaw. There’s no hurry, but they need to put him out there.

On that front, Jeff Passan wrote this today:

Passan isn’t the type to just repeat rumors with nothing behind them. However, Bruce Levine slightly later wrote this:

So it sounds to me like the Giants called the Cubs about Hoerner and the Cubs said you’re free to make an offer. But unless the Giants blow the Cubs away, they won’t trade Hoerner. In any case, I don’t believe the Giants and the Cubs match up well on a deal anyway. Anyone the Giants have that would interest the Cubs is something that the Giants can’t afford to part with.

In any case, 63 percent of you think that the Cubs should sign Hoerner to an extension and look to move Shaw. Another 26 percent think the Cubs should let him leave as a free agent after this year and (presumably) let Shaw take over second base in 2027.

Here’s the part with the music and the movies. You’re free to skip that. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight we’re featuring the second great Miles Davis Quintet at their absolute high point in Germany in 1967. Davis is on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams is the drummer.

This is “I Fall in Love Too Easily.”

You have until tomorrow to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Seconds. Coming up tomorrow we have real battle of heavyweights as Star Wars faces off against Alien. Both films spawned a franchise of movies in their wake.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and the movies.

Barring a trade of Shaw or Hoerner, which I absolutely do not expect, the Cubs are probably done on any major deals this winter. There may be a few waiver claims like Justin Dean today and I do expect the Cubs to sign a few more players to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. But I don’t think anything major is coming down the pike after the Alex Bregman signing.

So let’s recap the major-league moves the Cubs have made since the end of the season. The contract numbers listed to not include any possible bonuses or options. The dates are also when the news of the deal broke, not necessarily when the deal became official.

11/21/25 RHP Phil Maton (two years, $14.5 million)

12/11/25 LHP Hoby Milner (one year, $3.25 million)

12/16/26 LHP Caleb Thielbar [RE-SIGN] (one year, $2.75 million)

12/18/25 1B Tyler Austin (one year, $1.25 million)

12/23/25 RHP Jacob Webb (one year, $1.5 million)

12/27/25 RHP Hunter Harvey (one year, $6 million)

1/7/26 RHP Edward Cabrera (trade with Marlins.)

1/10/26 3B Alex Bregman (five years, $175 million)

Also waiver claims on LHP Ryan Rolison and Dean.

LHP Drew Pomeranz (Angels, one year, $4 million)

RHP Michael Soroka (Diamondbacks, one year, $7.5 million)

RHP Brad Keller (Phillies, two years, $22 million)

11/4/25 RHP Andrew Kittredge to Orioles (cash)

1/7/26: RF Owen Caissie, SS Cristian Hernandez, 3B/1B Edgardo De Leon to Marlins (Edward Cabrera)

I’m not including pure minor league deals nor did I include the week that Shōta Imanaga wasn’t a Cub. But you can include them if you want.

So what grade would you give the Cubs offseason?

We can always re-poll should the Cubs make a major move later.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re always glad to see you. Please get home safely. Stay warm out there. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.