(670 The Score) Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw doesn’t know anything more about his role on the 2025 club than the average fan does.
As third base remains open for the Cubs after they traded Isaac Paredes to the Astros in a deal to acquire star Kyle Tucker, Shaw’s focus is on performing at a high level in spring training and earning the job. But team brass hasn’t told him anything about that possibility that it hasn’t already publicly stated before.
“I hear just as much as about everybody else here when it comes to this type of stuff,” Shaw said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Friday morning. “So as much as I wish I had some insider trading to give to you guys, I really don’t. So it’s really just keep working and getting ready for the season and hopefully there’s an opportunity to play third base. It’s my job to be ready for that.”
Shaw hit .284 with 21 homers, 71 RBIs and an .867 OPS in 121 games split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024. In December, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer indicated that the 23-year-old Shaw will be given the chance to win the starting third base job in spring training, but the dynamics may have shifted a bit since then.
As the start of spring training looms, the Cubs have been monitoring veteran third baseman Alex Bregman’s free agency as he remains unsigned. Bregman has sought a long-term deal this offseason but hasn’t found one to his liking. If he pivots his focus to a short-term deal, the Cubs have interest, sources told Bruce Levine of 670 The Score recently. To that end, the Cubs have had casual discussions with agent Scott Boras about that possibility. Boras represents Bregman.
“You definitely monitor (the Hot Stove),” Shaw said. “Obviously, I would love to play third base. You sign a big free agent and all of a sudden, everything shifts. That’s the nature of baseball. That’s the nature of professional sports. And I’m well aware of that. But at the same time, I just hope that they have the same faith in me and that they’ll at least give me that opportunity to win that job. For me, there’s obviously nothing in that that I can control. I can’t control if they sign Alex Bregman. I can’t control if they bring in whomever. But the thing I can control is to be ready for the season and obviously to come out strong here on February 20 when we play our first game and rock ‘n roll. That’s kind of what I’m looking forward to. At some point, you just hope that they have faith in you as a player, and that’s really all you could ask for.”
Shaw has experience at second base and shortstop as well and is comfortable playing both of those positions, so he could factor into the Cubs’ mix in a number of ways.