The Chicago Cubs shocked the baseball world when they recently signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year deal. It’s not that they weren’t expected to be interested in an upgrade at third base, but most were surprised the team would meet the financial requests from agent Scott Boras. As a result of the big new infield addition, there’s been a lot of reports suspecting that the Cubs will trade away either 3B Matt Shaw or 2B Nico Hoerner. Despite only having a year of team control left on his contract, I doubt they’ll part ways with Nico. It’s too obvious to keep him if teams are only offering a back of rotation arm. The idea that’s been proposed is to free up 2B for Shaw (under control through 2031) to return to his original position so that you can have Bregman and Matt playing everyday. But no one wants to rely on a massive turning point in Shaw’s offense. It’s just a small market mindset. We should compete now with our best players playing, and Shaw just doesn’t cut it. Although, I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about keeping everyone and putting Shaw in a UTIL role. The only thing is that a move to the bench is probably not ideal for Shaw’s development. I genuinely don’t know if his love for baseball is there, and I would be wary of pissing him off further.
On the trade market, Shaw’s value is still decently high. He’s a little old for an inconsistent MLB bat at 24, but it was only a year ago that he was a top 25 MLB prospect. There’s still believers out there (none of them are Cubs fans), with Fangraphs projecting him to hit .242 in 2026 while going 20/20. Six years of that has real value to some small-market teams that can’t afford to sign the next big free agent. So when looking for a match in a trade, there were two big teams I am eying.
The Athletics are finally finding a footing in their team, led by star ROTY winner, Nick Kurtz. After acquiring Jeff McNeil, the only hole in their team seems to be third base, so why not take a pretty safe chance at getting a cheap one under control when his value is at an all-time-low? They’re loaded with young pitching, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they let go of a couple prospect pieces for Shaw. The return I’m hoping for would consist of a top starting pitcher prospect like Gage Jump or the newly–drafted Jamie Arnold headlining, plus a couple younger high-upside prospects such as SP Steven Echavarria and SS Eddie Montero.
The other team I’m looking at are the Tampa Bay Rays. But they have Junior Caminero, right? Well, yeah, but they have the worst depth at 2B of any team according to Fangraphs, and they could be easily enticed by Shaw’s years of control. They say that you lose every trade you make with the Rays, so we don’t want to give them a piece like Matt Shaw for free. That’s why I would be asking for a major leaguer like closing pitcher Griffin Jax to be the headliner in the deal. They just acquired him at the 2025 deadline, and they only had to give up Taj Bradley for him. For a team like the Rays that loves to flip players, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let go of him this soon. Jax is a legit closer with real swing-and-miss stuff. He struggled a little after being moved, but his overall track record is immaculate. Then, two smaller prospects with Nathan Flewelling and Trevor Harrison. Both are only at high-A, and have a ton of promise attached. So why would the Rays get rid of them? Well, they just have better options with Caden Bodine and any other pitcher they touch, respectively.
Okay, so we trade Shaw. Who’s taking over 2B in 2027? The easiest answer is extending Nico Hoerner to a five-or-so-year deal. But let’s say both parties are worried about the lockout and they don’t agree on a deal. We can turn to our middling farm system for a cheap answer. 20-year-old infielder Jefferson Rojas will start the 2026 minor-league season at AA after 39 games at the level in 2025, and is on track to debut in 2027. He’s been at shortstop for most of his minor league career, but there’s been doubt on whether or not he can maintain being an average defender at the position. So just move him to second! He’s a good prospect, but not a sure-shot major leaguer, so it might just be smarter to extend Hoerner with all the money we get from Happ, Suzuki, Imanaga+ leaving after 2026. Either way, there’s an option.
Does trading away Shaw make this team better here? I think so. It’s not like we can’t easily find a veteran bench piece in free agency for a couple million. Let’s roll with our best players and see what happens.
27 comments
Probably not a ton. He was an OK third baseman who left the team twice for reasons I won’t say.
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Seems like a reds guy to me
We’ll get his clothes when the rapture happens. 🙄
Shaw is probably better than anyone they can get to be a supersub that handles 3B, SS, 2B.
“But no one wants to rely on a massive turning point in Shaw’s offense.”
I see what you did there.
Nothing worth trading him for. Keep him, rotate him around this year, and get him more experience.
He excelled in the minors but struggled in the majors. However he did show the ability to adapt (rid of the weird leg kick stance).
He’s going to have a spot to take next year, wherever that is. Develop youth to the point where you know what you have before trading him. Dude was a top prospect for a reason
He’s going to play a lot for the 2026 Chicago Cubs and then a lot more for the 2027 Chicago Cubs.
He isn’t going anywhere , people are just getting ate alive by his political alignment. He will be the utility man this year and Bergman will be his sensei, if they can dial him in a bit more he is gonna be a good one …
I like him as a Utility guy off the bench at this point. 🤷♂️
Trading him now would be selling low, especially with 6 years of control.
Fans get criticize him for his personal/religious/political choices, but trading him now would be a mistake especially with Nico’s situation still up on the air after this season. The free agent market in 2027 is pretty weak aside from Seiya and Nico hitting free agency and the Cubs lack impact infield prospects that can replace Nico AND Shaw. Triantos will probably be a bench piece and others are years away.
Keep him.
I know everyone who hates Shaw saw the Bregman signing as writing on the wall that he’s done with the Cubs, but I think that’s wishful thinking. Shaw has good defense, showed great growth at the plate, is good on the base paths, and he’s cheap. If he can supersub the infield this year he’s extremely valuable. I wouldn’t be surprised a year from now to find he’s playing third more and Bregman is DHing more.
Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just calling it like I see it.
Look yall, I hate his politics too, but trading Shaw is just as insane as trading Nico.
Who is gonna play 3B when Bregman inevitably gets hurt? Or Dansby or Nico? Scott Kingery??
Certainly nobody a contending team wants starting everyday.
Ideal world for me now would be to use Shaw in a package to land another one of the top arms they’ve been targeting, like Gore, etc.
But I think the super util/depth for injury isn’t the worst use of him either
I agree with one commenter who said keep Shaw, great utility guy. Extend Hoerner.
Extend Hoerner. Say it Tom Ricketts.
Extend Hoerner.
They can get their dignity and integrity back.
nothing, we lost all leverage signing Bregman. teams know we’re desperate to move him or nico so he will be utility until deadline.
I think most teams are aware of his off the field issues at this point and either 1) don’t wanna deal with it or 2) are willing to try to get a really low buy because of it. Matt Shaw is a valuable player, he’s young as shit, played really well at 3rd after the first month of starting, and he had good stretches where he looked like he figured it out at the plate. I have no issue with the concept of him as a developing player, especially in a league short on 3B talent, he’s an amazing asset. But his off the field shit is downplayed and dangerous, essentially opting to tour with an openly racist, religious zealot political manipulation organization, and willing to walk away from the team to participate in that.
Mind you, while I think that’s bad enough on its own, I also think it could genuinely affect FA’s opinions on the clubhouse. Why come to the Cubs offering you just as much money when they’re facilitating a hateful player (who based on your skin tone might hate your guts) when you can go to somewhere like Toronto for just as much? It genuinely might be bad for the team from more than a moral perspective if that’s the case.
I don’t want him here because of all that, if we could’ve gotten a top tier pitcher for him as the centerpiece last year, in hindsight I would’ve jumped all over that. I don’t know how the Cubs will handle him now, hell I don’t even know if they care, but I think he’s either a sell low guy or super utility for now
Keep him.
Counting or not counting Prospect Capital?
Something solid. Rather keep Nico over him.
Nothing. Just cut him.
I get he’s a pariah on this sub but he’s a potential significant upgrade on the bench that we have been lacking for years. He’s got shitty politics but he’s not a criminal. I have no problem holding my nose on this one.
they won’t be able to get much.
No team is going to take a chance on him due to his politics. Cubs owners don’t care but other owners in other cities will. Too big of a risk to piss off fans. Maybe thats not fair but that’s the way it is.
Baseball wise – he’s a good defender but can’t hit. So if he can’t figure out hitting he will be a career utility infielder.
He’s not getting traded at all. He’s had an 800+ OPS against lefties last year. They’re absolutely going to keep him and platoon him with Moises at DH or let Bregman DH and him at 3B in games against lefties. Moises only got 4 PA against lefties last year, they’re not suddenly going to have him just DH for 150 games.
I understand the “off field issue” everyone seems to have with him (he’s a baseball player I don’t really care what he does off the field as long as he’s not a criminal) but even with the bregman signing in what world would it make sense to get rid of him? He’s done nothing but improve since he’s been called up. Can play anywhere in the infield and it’s hard to put a cap on his ceiling. Just doesn’t make much baseball sense to get rid of him unless you’re trynna make a trade for a big dog….and we know what happens there, Kyle Tucker.
Fans back.