Cubs Potential Target to Fix Third Base Deemed Top Trade Chip at Deadline

With third base being an issue early on, will the Chicago Cubs make a move to bolster the position at the deadline?

Nick Ziegler | Apr 6, 2025

Mar 27, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) reacts as he receives a curtain call after hitting a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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Chicago Cubs

Despite a slow start to the season, the Chicago Cubs are playing extremely well of late.

Coming into the year, the Cubs saw their expectations grow exponentially. It was a great winter for Chicago, with the team trading for Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly, most notably.

Bringing in two former champions has resulted in those types of expectations for the Cubs now, and this roster is mostly built to win now.

However, while the team is playing well. One of the positions that was a bit of a question mark heading into the campaign remains that.

Considering the franchise might only have their new superstar for one season, Chicago has to make sure they have the best team possible for when October rolls around.

With that being said, a potential trade might have to happen in order to upgrade a position if things don’t improve.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about one of the top trade chips in baseball being potential Cubs target, Nolan Arenado.

“And perhaps by this summer, he'll be a little more willing to waive his full no-trade clause, after that seemed to cause several hiccups over the winter," he wrote.

Coming into the year, third base was talked about quite a bit for Chicago. This winter, the team made a lot of upgrades and brought in numerous veterans.

These moves indicated that the Cubs were going into a win-now mode, but one position that there was some uncertainty about was third base.

After missing out on Alex Bregman, the team elected to go with rookie Matt Shaw at the position. As a player who has never played in the Majors, this was a significant risk for a team built to win.

However, the interest in Bregman was an indication that the team might not have had complete faith in their talented rookie. However, with options being limited at the position this winter, there wasn’t a plan B.

So far, the slow start from the talented prospect is a bit concerning. In 11 games, he has slashed .195/.313/.293 with one home run.

If the struggles continue, Chicago will have to find someone to replace him, and Arenado makes a lot of sense.

The Cubs haven’t been shy about making trades of late, and while a deal with the rival is uncommon, it could be beneficial for both sides. Due to Chicago appearing like a contender this year, Arenado would likely waive his no-trade clause.

While the franchise will hope that Shaw can turn things around, they must also be mindful of the excellent window of opportunity that they have this year.

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