Cubs utility man Matt Shaw is listed among the featured speakers at a conservative political event in December.
The event, hosted by Turning Point USA – the group founded by controversial podcaster and influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed last year – features many other political and media figures associated with President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, including Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr.
The first speaker drop of AmericaFest 2026 is HERE 🔥
Restore the culture. Reclaim America.
Be there: https://t.co/kMi2p7BBuS pic.twitter.com/L5OJtsGL4S
— Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) October 8, 2026
Shaw, who notably left the Cubs to attend Kirk’s memorial service last September, became friends with Kirk, an Arlington Heights native, while the two lived in the same apartment complex in Arizona.
“The reason Charlie and I connected so close was because of our faith,” Shaw said after returning to the team last season. “That’s something that drives me every single day, something that I think about all the time.
“So if people are wondering who I am and what I stand for, I’d say that my faith and the many blessings I’ve been given is why I’m able to be here. And I just want to make sure that I can give that back to people, that I can support people around me, that I can love people around me the same way that I’ve been blessed.”
Shaw was the Cubs’ everyday third baseman during the 2025 season, but he was relegated to a bench role after the team signed two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman to a free-agent contract last offseason.
Some of Shaw’s offensive numbers improved this season, though that came in limited time, with multiple injuries keeping him to just 77 games.
Whether Shaw, who appeared in 34 games in the outfield during the 2026 season, factors more heavily into the Cubs’ plans for 2027 remains to be seen. The team could be searching to fill two holes in the outfield, with left fielder Ian Happ and right fielder Seiya Suzuki slated to hit free agency.
Team president Jed Hoyer said last week that both Shaw and fellow reserve infielder Pedro Ramirez could play larger roles in the future.
“Having Pedro and Matt, super versatile, both really good players, we can ask more of them going forward,” Hoyer said. “We didn’t have to this year, given the nature of our corner outfield. But I think they both can certainly do that, and we’ll lean on both those guys more heavily going forward.”