CHICAGO — When the Cubs acquired star outfielder Kyle Tucker last month, they shipped a pair of third basemen — big leaguer Isaac Paredes and Top 100 prospect Cam Smith — to the Astros as part of the blockbuster trade.
Matt Shaw, ranked by MLB Pipeline as Chicago’s top prospect, could see a path to the Major League roster opening up.
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The opportunity that Shaw has in front of him was reiterated by the front office on stage at Cubs Convention on Saturday morning. General manager Carter Hawkins told fans filling the main ballroom that the Cubs “expect him to do everything he possibly can” to claim the vacancy at third base.
“No matter how much the opportunity might present itself,” Shaw said, “it’s still going to be, ‘You’ve got to earn that spot.’ Hopefully, given the opportunity, I’ll be able to show what I’ve got and be able to earn that position.”
With the caveat that the Cubs are looking to create a “safety net” behind Shaw, as Hawkins phrased the situation, this is very much the prospect’s job to seize. Seven players made at least one start for Chicago at the hot corner last season, and the only one of those still on the roster is fellow prospect Luis Vazquez, who started just once.
This offseason, Chicago has added some infield pieces by trading for Vidal Bruján, picking Gage Workman in the Rule 5 Draft and adding prospect Ben Cowles (No. 25 on Pipeline’s Cubs list). Hawkins said the front office will also continue to explore external options to add more experience to the depth chart.
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All of that said, the 23-year-old Shaw will have this spring to convince the Cubs to trust him from the jump.
“We’ve all kind of been in those shoes at one point or another, right?” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “When we’re coming up through the ranks and have an opportunity to break with the team. I’m just excited for him and this opportunity he has in spring to be able to put his best foot forward. We’ll see how things go.”
The Cubs picked Shaw with the 13th overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft and have been aggressively moving him up the organizational ladder. Last season, he began a transition to third base from the middle infield and honed his skills there, while climbing from Double-A to the Triple-A level.
In 121 games last year, Shaw had a slash line of .284/.379/.488 with 21 homers, 19 doubles and 31 steals. He then manned third while helping Team USA take bronze in Japan during the Premier12 tournament in November. Shaw made the All-World Team after hitting .412 with a tourney-high 14 RBIs and 24 total bases.
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“The one thing with Matty is he’s hit everywhere that he’s been,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “That’s been the one constant. He hit in high school. He raked in college. He’s flown through the Minor Leagues. He did the Premier12 and hit.”
Shaw also has earned rave reviews for his work ethic behind the scenes.
Last offseason, Shaw began to dedicate his time to the move to third base. He then impressed the Major League staff and veteran players with how he conducted himself in his first big league Spring Training camp. Shaw’s trip to Cubs Con this week comes after he already began training at the team’s complex in Arizona.
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“He’s an unbelievable worker. He kind of reminds me of Nico [Hoerner] a little bit in that context,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He’s kind of taken every challenge we’ve given him, and he’s continued to improve defensively.”
Shaw said he has studied video of such third basemen as Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman — the latter being closer to his stature and approach. Shaw said the important component for him is fine-tuning his footwork, taking advantage of his quick reaction time rather than focusing solely on arm strength.
“He seems to have seized every opportunity so far,” Hoerner said. “I don’t see any reason why this should be different.”
Shaw called it an “amazing” chance he has ahead of him.
“Look, Matt made an impression last spring,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And then he went out and had a really good season. We have some opportunity there — there’s no question about it. Players want opportunity. Young players that have performed — they want opportunity.”
