Maybe the Cubs Don’t Believe in Matt Shaw Right Now

There were rumors early in the season when Matt Shaw was spending time in Triple-A that the Cubs were kicking around the idea of trading for Rockies’ third baseman Ryan McMahon. Those discussions quickly faded once Shaw made his return to the majors and flourished for the next few weeks at the plate. However, as we get closer to the trade deadline maybe the Cubs aren’t completely comfortable with trusting the rookie at third base in a pennant race.

Shaw was fantastic from May 19 through June 7, posting a 137 wRC+ in 69 plate appearances. During an 18-game span he raised his season OPS nearly 200 points following his demotion to the minor leagues and maybe the best development from Shaw’s comeback has been his great defense at third base, a fairly new position for the college shortstop.

However, as the Cubs’ offense has hit a bit of a snag in June, questions are once again being raised about Shaw’s ability to provide positive results for this team in 2025. It’s only been a two-week slide, but Shaw has reverted back to his early-season form, producing poor contact and leading to really bad numbers. In his last 11 games Shaw is 4-for-35 at the plate with eight strikeouts, one walk and an average exit velocity of 81.4mph.

Earlier this week Chicago baseball insider Bruce Levine floated the idea that we should be keeping an eye out for a potential trade involving not only a pitcher coming to the Cubs, but a multi-player deal that includes a replacement for Shaw at third base.

“The other part of that is, with all due respect to Matt Shaw and how he’s playing third base, do you add a right-handed hitting third baseman? And is that a bigger part of a trade? Those are the things we should keep our eyes on.”

According to Bob Nightengale the Cubs were also one of five other teams that had conversations with the Boston Red Sox about Rafael Devers before he was ultimately traded to the San Francisco Giants a little more than a week ago.

Maybe it’s not so much that the Cubs don’t believe in Shaw’s talent or his future value, but in 2025 the Cubs are making it clear that they’re not going to wait around too long to make changes. Ben Brown was just sent down to Triple-A Iowa, demoted after his rollercoaster first half in the Cubs’ rotation. Even with his flashes of greatness the Cubs are moving on from Brown for now, hoping he can figure things out in the minor leagues while the team searches for better options at the big-league level.

The same could eventually be done at third base if Shaw doesn’t show signs of improvement during the next month. Eugenio Suárez has been linked to the Cubs in ESPN’s latest trade deadline article, as Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel listed the third baseman as a potential answer at third base for the Cubs.

Suárez, 33, is fairly affordable when it comes to slugging third basemen around the league. He’s currently in the final year of his contract, owed $15 million in 2025. The Cubs killer is putting up great numbers in his contract year, slashing .251//323/.569, with 25 home runs in 78 games. His 141 wRC+ ranks third best in MLB among third basemen.

The Cubs can’t let this opportunity slip away in 2025. Jed Hoyer does not have a contract extension secured yet and he knows he has to win this year. That means addressing any need the team has, filling any hole on the roster and improving any position even if it means moving aside one of your top prospects. If there’s a clear upgrade to be made, then the Cubs should actively be trying to make it.

We’ll see what the trade deadline brings us and if Shaw’s performance makes this conversation a moot point by the end of July.