Chicago Cubs Decision Maker Says Matt Shaw Will Push For Third Base Role

Matt Shaw will have a great chance to push for the third base job for the Chicago Cubs.

Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Chicago Cubs find themselves in an interesting spot after making a massive trade for superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker along with moving on from Cody Bellinger's contract days later.

As the Cubs prepare for what could be one of their most competitive seasons in a long time, third base remains a huge question mark given the fact they shipped Isaac Paredes out of town as part of the exchange for Tucker.

While no one is necessarily devastated about that swap, it leaves a gap at third base.

Having Michael Busch move over from first to third seemed like an option as well, but Jed Hoyer has stated that Busch is seen as a potential Gold Glove first baseman and they have no desire to change his position.

This all points to one answer for who is going to be playing third base for Chicago in 2025, at least in the hopes of team decision makers.

Top prospect Matt Shaw is the obvious solution for the Cubs as they try to figure out their team, not just for 2025, but beyond as well.

In an ideal world, Shaw would step in right away at third base and be an everyday player, but things don't always work out that way, and he could be a better fit at second in the long term.

Nonetheless, Hoyer said this week that the top prospect is going to get every opportunity to prove why he should be manning the hot corner in Chicago next season.

"He has to earn that job, I'm not going to gift him that on a conference call in the middle of [December]," Hoyer said via Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune, adding that Shaw is going to get a "long look" at third.

Shaw has yet to make his MLB debut, but he was phenomenal in 2024 at Double-A as well as his small sample size in Triple-A.

In fact, he was statistically better in the 35 games he played in Triple-A than he was in the 86 games played in Double-A. Hitting .298 with an OPS of .929 in Triple-A, Shaw also blasted seven home runs in just 152 plate appearances.

In Double-A this season, he had 14 home runs and 50 RBI with an average of .279 and an OPS of .841.

This was coming off a massive 2023 season where, across rookie ball, High-A, and Double-A, Shaw had an OPS of 1.018 in 38 games.

Having proven he's been able to handle every level of professional pitching thrown at him so far, there's not much reason to think he isn't going to excel right from the jump in the Majors.

Given the team need at third base, it's not exactly a bold prediction to think he has a great shot to lock down his spot with the Cubs early next season.