No Talks of Extension for Jed Hoyer

I know there's some apprehension coming from Cubs fans who believe that no matter what Jed Hoyer does he'll stick around because Tom Ricketts doesn't care about getting better. However, there's more evidence that entering 2025, Hoyer, at least to me, seems to be 100% on the hot seat in the final year of his contract. It's playoffs or bust and in a recent story in the Chicago Tribune, Ricketts emphasized a postseason appearance in 2025, while declining to discuss an extension for Hoyer this winter.

Via the Chicago Tribune.

Asked whether he expects to discuss a contract extension with Hoyer over the offseason or anticipates wanting to see how 2025 plays out before approaching that, Ricketts said, “He’s under contract, that’s the way I see it.”

“I think he’s motivated,” Ricketts said. “I know he’s driven, like everyone else here. He works really hard. I think Jed’s going to have a great offseason and put us back in the playoffs next year.”

Friction Reported in Cubs Front Office

Jed Hoyer took over as the president of baseball operations following the 2020 season and while he was tasked to make several difficult decisions that included dismantling the World Series core, fans have been restless for a few seasons now. The question of whether or not Hoyer is on the hot seat or not has been discussed more seriously during a disappointing 2024 season, but there have not been any indications that ownership is ready to move on to a new leader. Well, not until now.

Unless the Cubs make a miraculous run to end the season, 2024 will mark the fourth consecutive year that the team misses the playoffs all under Hoyer's direction. Sure, there are areas within the organization that have improved since Hoyer replaced Theo Epstein as the top boss in the front office, but at the end of the day results on the field are all that matter.

In an era where 40% of the league reaches postseason play, failing to reach even once in a span of four years is simply bad. Now, while Hoyer doesn't appear to be in danger of looking for a new gig this offseason, it sounds like patience is running thin on the north side as frustration has heightened.

According to Bob Nightengale, Hoyer is still expected to return in 2025, but he might finally be on the hot seat.

Via USA Today.

There is internal friction in the Chicago Cubs’ front office, high-ranking officials say, but despite their disappointing season, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, will return in 2025.

Similar to Joe Maddon in 2019, Hoyer will presumably begin 2025 in a lame-duck position, meaning he'll be working without a contract beyond that year.

Maybe that's not good enough for some Cubs fans, who believe Hoyer should not be rewarded with another year as the decision-maker for the team after no postseason success during his four-year tenure. But at the very least for his harshest critics, 2025 might just be do or die for Jed Hoyer with the Cubs.