CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Matt Shaw was watching TV with his wife when she got a notification on her phone: Alex Bregman had agreed to a contract with the Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\n
Shaw was Chicago’s regular third baseman during his rookie season, so he wondered what the move meant for him.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou’re kind of looking at it like \u2018Oh man, where am I going to play?\u2019 And you get a little anxious about those things,\u201d Shaw said Friday at the team’s annual fan convention. “The team knows me good enough at this point to know I just want to be prepared when the season comes around.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo of course I immediately have questions like \u2018Am I going to go here? Am I going to go there?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer to many of those questions was yes.<\/p>\n
Shaw is preparing for a super-utility role after Chicago finalized a $175 million, five-year contract<\/a> with Bregman on Wednesday. In addition to backing up Bregman at third and Nico Hoerner at second, Shaw also is expected to play in the outfield.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n There is always the possibility of a trade with Hoerner, who is going into the last year of a $35 million, three-year contract<\/a>, or Shaw, a first-round pick in the 2023 amateur draft who turned 24 in November. But the Cubs sound as if they are inclined to hold on to their infield depth as an insurance policy for injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we have enough guys yet,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said with a chuckle. \u201cIf you think there\u2019s too many, I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n Counsell said the team was \u201cfortunate\u201d last year in terms of injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re now protecting a lot against what can happen, but I think that\u2019s an important part of building a roster and building a team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Hoerner, 28, was a key performer last season as Chicago won 92 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020. He batted .297 with seven homers, 61 RBIs and 29 steals in a career-best 156 games. He also won his second Gold Glove.<\/p>\n Amid increased trade speculation in the wake of Bregman’s deal, Hoerner said he loves the Cubs and attributed the rumors to his contract situation and playing in a big market.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, above all, just remembering that it\u2019s not a personal thing and that the team\u2019s job is to always make the best possible roster that they have the ability to do for this year and for years to come,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you look at the things that we\u2019ve done this offseason, I think it\u2019s pretty evident that\u2019s their goal. And we\u2019re in a really strong place.\u201d<\/p>\n Dansby Swanson, Hoerner’s double-play partner at shortstop, said the second baseman was irreplaceable.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cNico means the world to me and to this team, just who he is as a person,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cHe brings the same type of energy and competitive spirit that Alex does.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaw was relatively inexperienced at third base going into last season, but he was named a Gold Glove finalist in October. Shaking off a slow start and a stint in the minors<\/a>, he hit .226 with 13 homers, 44 RBIs and 17 steals in 126 games with the Cubs.<\/p>\n Shaw was a shortstop growing up in Massachusetts, but he spent some time as an outfielder early in his collegiate career at the University of Maryland.<\/p>\n \u201cI played outfield growing up a lot, so I look forward to running around out there,\u201d he said. \u201cOutfield’s definitely fun. And the at-bat stuff, I think there’s at-bats there, and obviously it’s up to me as it’s up to all the guys to earn their spots and to play well.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Shaw also is looking forward to playing with Bregman, a two-time World Series champion with Houston.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a great year last year. We had a lot of great pieces,\u201d Shaw said, \u201cand then you add Bregman and it’s like, you look at this team up and down and we’re in an amazing spot.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n