Cubs may turn back to $760,000 star to fill 3B amid position woes

The Chicago Cubs may have no option but to go back to Matt Shaw to solve their third base problems. After coming up short on Alex Bregman in the offseason, the Cubs went ahead with Shaw to start at third, who signed a one-year, $760K contract.

However, after 18 games, Shaw could only hit .172 and one home run, leading the Cubs to designate him to Triple-A Iowa. Currently, the team is using make-shift options with shortstop Nicky Lopez and utility player Jon Berti taking some time playing third.

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But that won't last long. According to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, the Cubs are expected to call back Shaw from the minors.

"At some point, the Chicago Cubs are expected to recall Matt Shaw from Triple-A Iowa and reinstall him as their everyday third baseman," Mooney wrote.

"The broader issue is that the Cubs may have difficulties finding an upgrade. Across the majors, third base is not a position currently teeming with solid two-way players, and it is too early to tell how many clubs will be aggressive sellers at the trade deadline," he added.

Interestingly, the Cubs have used 13 different starting third basemen since 2024 Opening Day. Seven players started at third base last season and none of them are part of the organization presently, highlighting the Cubs' woes at the position. Even this season, the Cubs have used six different men at the position.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said:

“It doesn’t change the nature of third base here. You’re going to see multiple third basemen in the game on a day-to-day basis.”

What Cubs president Jed Hoyer said after sending Matt Shaw to minors?

On April 15, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer pulled the plug on Matt Shaw's inconsistency at the plate and sent him for assignment down in the minors. Hoyer was pretty straight while sharing his reason for the move.

“This is not a place for a young player to tinker,” Hoyer said via The Athletic. “We want him to be our third baseman. We want him to be back up here. But he needs to go work on some stuff now and reset.

"Hopefully, he can do that. In the meantime, we’ll probably have a little bit of a revolving door there for a bit while we play matchups. I would love it if one of these guys would get hot and grab more of the playing time," he added.

Shaw may also not be the most perfect option at third base. As such, it may require the Cubs to use the July 31 trade deadline and get a good option on board. However, the problem with that is that the best in business out there are either playing for contenders or do not match up in trade ideas with the Cubs.

With that in mind, for now, the Cubs will hope that when they call back Shaw, he'll be able to deliver on expectations.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Veer Badani