The Cubs made a big difference to their infield this week with a signing Alex Bregman five-year agreement. That led to speculation about the team turning to a trade for another midfielder, like this one Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw. In a press conference at Bregman’s presentation today, baseball president Jed Hoyer admitted they’ve received several calls from other clubs about Hoerner and Shaw this week, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. But that doesn’t mean they’re planning a trade and Hoyer said Shaw could spend some time on the sidelines this year, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, which could help him get on the roster more.
The Cubs entered the winter with Shaw’s third-place finish, Dansby Swanson in short, Hoerner is second again Michael Busch in the beginning. Adding Bregman to the third spot keeps Shaw out of a regular role. He was a third baseman in baseball but also ran in center field. That somewhat influenced Hoerner’s trade speculation. With Hoerner an upcoming free agent, there is an argument to turn him now and put Shaw at second base.
But Hoerner is more established as a utility big leaguer than Shaw. The latter just played last year and has 126 major league games under his belt. During that time, he produced a subpar batting line of .226/.295/.394, leading to a 93 wRC+. He was better in the second half, with a .258/.317/.522 line and a 130 wRC+, but in a small sample of 205 plate appearances.
Hoerner, on the other hand, has been used to it for years. He has played at least 135 games in the past four campaigns. He doesn’t have a lot of power but he’s hard to hit and he’s been hitting really well with this form of communication. He also has excellent defense and speed. The combination was worth at least 3.9 wins over replacement for four straight years, per FanGraphs.
Getting rid of Hoerner and downsizing Shaw would risk relegating the team to 2026, a year in which the Cubs clearly want to compete. They just made the postseason in 2025 and have been aggressively adding to the club this winter with their signing of Bregman and the team. Edward Cabrera trade.
If a party makes a firm offer to them, they will naturally have to weigh the pros and cons. In just the past week, the Giants, Mariners and Yankees have been linked to Hoerner through rumors. But it also looks like the club may be leaning toward using Shaw instead of helping this year. If Hoerner is not extended, he will be gone after 2026, opening up second base for Shaw to have a regular role.
Shaw has no outside experience as an artist. Since being drafted 13th overall in 2023, he has played third base and two center field spots in the minors. In the majors last year, he played third in only six innings at the keystone and did not play at shortstop. He played sparingly in the outfield in the early parts of his coaching career but was kept in the middle infield as time went on.
During his big league season last year, Shaw’s batting average was ranked in the 90th percentile of major league players. That run gives him a head start in terms of being a viable outfielder but the Cubs will likely want to get him reps in the spring if they plan to continue using Shaw as a utility guy.
Teams like that kind of flexibility and there could be clear advantages for the Cubs in terms of playing matchups. Shaw bats from the right side and had a breakout season in his first major league season. He had a .218/.287/.362 line and 82 wRC+ against righties but a .250/.318/.490 line and 125 wRC+ with platoon advantage.
The Cubs project to have a few bats left in their regular lineup, with Pete Crow-Armstrong in the middle, Busch at the start again Moisés Ballesteros you may catch and act as a designated hitter. All have had better success against righties at their jobs, and Crow-Armstrong has some trouble against southpaws. Ian Happ he is also a switch hitter who has had more success as a left-handed bat in his career.
There is also the fact that Seiya Suzuki it can spend a lot of time in the outside world as the system is currently built. He was the one who scored the best last year but it went away Kyle Tucker means you are destined to spend more time on the lawn. Outs Above Average ranks Suzuki six outs below his career average and Defensive Runs Saved puts him in the negative five. Although he may start most games, the Cubs may look to replace him defensively late in games. Having another active outfielder on the roster naturally helps there.
All of this depends on everyone being healthy, as one injury can quickly change the whole picture, but that also emphasizes the importance of having some flexibility. If Shaw can play the outfield, it makes it easier to rotate players based on health and matchups. Currently, bench projects have a backup handler Miguel Amaya and first baseman Tyler Austin alongside Shaw and the outfielder Justin Dean. The latter is a solid defender and pacer but has big questions about his batting. You can still choose.
Getting on the roster regularly would be good for Shaw from a developmental standpoint. As mentioned, he just made his league debut last year. He was down and out but seemed to get better as the season went on. Stepping into a temporary role with no reps would not be good long-term, especially if he takes over for Hoerner at second base a year from now. Finding a way for him to play 400 to 600 plate appearances, even though he doesn’t have a clear spot, would be good for him and the team.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images
