The Chicago Cubs’ offense has led the way to a blazing 27-19 start to their season. Despite a gauntlet of a schedule, the Cubs have cemented themselves as a playoff contender so far this season.
Unfortunately for Chicago, they have one major hole that may limit their ceiling this season: Third Base. That position has been a hole in the Cubs’ lineup and has prompted trade speculation from the national media.
In a recent piece written by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, he hinted that the Cubs may be in the market to trade for a veteran third baseman.
“Several teams, including the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, are closely monitoring Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon in case he’s traded this summer,”
Why would it work?
The Cubs’ incredible lineup has severely lacked any contribution from their third baseman. The Cubs currently rank second worst in the Majors with a combined .480 OPS between their third baseman. After demoting top prospect Matt Shaw earlier in the year, Chicago has trotted out names such as Jon Berti, Nicky Lopez, Gage Workman, Justin Turner, and Vidal Brujan. None have been able to stabilize the position.
Enter the former All-Star McMahon. The 30-year-old veteran could be looking for a change of scenery after spending his entire career with the meddling Colorado Rockies. Despite his team’s failure to build around him, McMahon has been a steady presence for Colorado. The former second-round pick has accumulated at least 2.5 bWAR in each of his last four seasons.
In his nine big league seasons, McMahon has accumulated 16.1 bWAR and smashed 130 homers. While his playing environment has helped his offense, his defense has been superb at the hot corner.
So it makes perfect sense that the Cubs, who have a loaded farm system, would be interested in a player like McMahon at such a dire position of need.
Does this make sense for the Cubs?
On the other end, the upgrade may not be as drastic as some Cubs fans may believe. While McMahon does have power, that doesn’t make him a complete hitter. His career 92 OPS+ is below average, and he has never posted a single season above 100. This is despite playing in one of the most advantageous offensive parks in all of the Major Leagues. While he does have consistent 20+ homer pop, that number is accompanied by a career 28.8 strikeout rate. That’s especially gruesome when compared to just a 10.5 walk rate. Additionally, he isn’t exactly off to a blazing start this season as he is batting just .209 in his first 44 games.
But the real reason why the Cubs may not want to make this deal isn’t about McMahon at all, it’s about Shaw. It is way too early to give up hope that Shaw can and will become the everyday third baseman for Chicago. Since being sent down, Shaw has been electric in Triple-A. Shaw has put up a line of .286/.409/.560 for a .970 OPS in 24 games in Iowa.
It’s not unlikely that Shaw could soon be getting the call back up to the Big Leagues. While McMahon would certainly be an upgrade in the immediate future, Shaw could be an even better upgrade if given more time to develop.
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