Throughout the offseason, Chicago Cubs infielders Matt Shaw and Nico Hoerner have been mentioned in trade rumors.
Hoerner is entering the final year of his contract, and Shaw is expected to have a reduced role following the Cubs’ signing of Alex Bregman. As a result, several teams have contacted the front office regarding both players in recent months.
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However, at this stage of the offseason, a trade involving either player appears unlikely.
The Cubs’ first full-squad workout is one week away on February 16, and both Hoerner and Shaw have already reported to camp. Hoerner has shown power during batting practice, while Shaw is learning to play the outfield.
Although that doesn’t really mean that the Cubs can’t still trade them away, there are limited suitors for both Hoerner and Shaw as Spring Training approaches.
Hoerner was linked to the San Francisco Giants for most of the offseason. The Giants reportedly called the Cubs earlier this winter, and there was a ton of interest from San Francisco’s side to get a deal done.
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The second baseman is also from the Oakland area, so it just made sense for the Giants to be in on him. He grew up in Oakland, attended Head-Royce High School there, and went to Stanford University in Palo Alto.
But the Hoerner to San Francisco rumors are likely dead at this point. With the Giants picking up Luis Arraez in free agency earlier this month, they simply don’t need Hoerner anymore. Arraez is expected to be the team’s everyday second baseman.
Then, there’s Shaw, who has been at the forefront of trade rumors since Bregman signed with the Cubs. The addition of Bregman means Shaw will have more of a bench/reserve role this upcoming season.
Therefore, teams like the Boston Red Sox have checked in on the 24-year-old third baseman.
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The Red Sox have been looking for a third baseman all offseason, ever since the Cubs took Bregman away from them in free agency. They needed to find a replacement for Bregman, and Shaw was definitely on their radar. Boston reportedly checked in on him last month.
However, the Red Sox are now out on Shaw after trading for Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin on Monday. Durbin answers their need at third base for the foreseeable future, which effectively ends the team’s pursuit of the Cubs infielder.
With the start of Spring Training about to begin, it’s looking more and more like Hoerner and Shaw will remain with the team.