(670 The Score) The Cubs are seeking to make a deep push in the playoffs this season, but they also know they have a few weaknesses to address as the trade deadline looms on July 31.
The Cubs have a potent lineup that also lacks at the third base position. Rookie Matt Shaw has primarily filled that spot but has struggled in his first season. He's hitting .198 with a .556 OPS in 63 games and was demoted to Triple-A Iowa in April to work on his swing.
The Cubs are potentially seeking an upgrade at third base, but general manager Carter Hawkins stressed the team still believes in the 23-year-old Shaw.
“It’s something we’re definitely looking at,” Hawkins told the Rahimi & Harris Show on Friday. “His defense has been great. He has provided value to the Cubs. You go to Baseball Reference, he’s 0.9 bWAR, which is not nothing. It’s certainly something that’s helped us win some games in some certain places. Obviously, offensively, we want more out of that position. That could just be Matt.
“We feel really strongly about his bat. We think that he’s going to be a good hitter. You look around the league and young hitters that are going to play really, really well that currently just haven’t made the adjustment to the league. You saw that with Pete (Crow-Armstrong) last year. We fully expect that to be Matt as he continues to make adjustments. But we’re also in some critical times right now where development can’t be the focus on our major league club. So, it’s something that we’ll be looking into, but we have a lot of confidence in Matt Shaw and his ability to be a great player for us moving forward.”
The Cubs open a three-game series against the Red Sox on Friday at Wrigley Field. First pitch is set for 1:20 p.m. CT. The game can be heard on 670 The Score and the Audacy app. Pregame coverage starts at 12:45 p.m.