Giants Trade Rumor For Cubs' Nico Hoerner Comes With Personal Twist

While other insiders have since shut down the idea of Chicago considering a trade for Hoerner (who is a key part of the Cubs' clubhouse camaraderie, just won his second NL Gold Glove Award, and hit .297 last season), that hasn't kept opposing clubs from inquiring about him.

This was revealed in a December 17 article from Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, who reported that the San Francisco Giants have "checked in" with the Cubs about a potential deal for Hoerner.

Why Nico Hoerner could be compelled by trade to Giants

The fact that it's the San Francisco Giants who are showing interest in a trade for Hoerner makes all the sense in the world for him, given his roots.

Hoerner was born and raised in Oakland, California. He grew up a diehard Oakland A's fan and went to college at Stanford University, which is about an hour's drive away from San Francisco. Since the A's are no longer in the Bay Area, if Hoerner desired a return to his hometown, then the Giants would be the only option.

It's worth noting that Hoerner would not necessarily have a full say in where he would be traded. While there are conflicting reports about whether his current contract includes a no-trade clause, if it does, one would imagine that Hoerner would be more open to a trade to the Bay Area than just about anywhere else.

And given that Hoerner has been a fantastic ambassador for Cubs baseball during his entire career, perhaps the front office would ensure that he'd be content with the team they were trading him to if they made that decision.

Just because a team is interested in trading for Hoerner doesn't mean he's going anywhere. But this story will be fascinating to follow over the next year, especially now that Hoerner's hometown team is involved.