The Chicago Cubs may have one more major move left to do ahead of the 2026 season. Chicago will be entering the upcoming campaign with a few new key faces on its roster. Superstar slugger Kyle Tucker previously departed the North Siders and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nevertheless, the Cubs have brought in perennial All-Star Alex Bregman and ace Edward Cabrera to help ease the pain.
Bregman’s arrival was fairly surprising. After all, the third baseman was expected to re-sign with the Boston Red Sox. Even if he jumped ship, Chicago was not exactly seen as a top contender to land Bregman. On top of this, the Cubs already had Matt Shaw at the hot corner. The rookie posted solid numbers during his first season in the big leagues. Bregman’s introduction, however, has pushed the youngster out of a starting spot.
Bleacher Report previously predicted that Shaw would be the team’s super utility player in 2026. Along with the ability to play second and third base, it was recently revealed that he was taking reps in the outfield during spring training practices. Chicago’s outfield is also now packed, though. Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Pete Crow-Armstrong are widely expected to be the starters.
The aforementioned outlet is now claiming that the roster logjam should force the Cubs to move Shaw. With Bregman at third, Gold Glove winner Nico Hoerner at second, and a set outfield, Chicago does not necessarily need Shaw. He also should be able to get his team a quality return if they choose to trade him in the coming days.
Chicago Cubs Should not Have Trouble Finding Trade Partner for Matt Shaw
GettyMatt Shaw was previously a first-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2023.
According to Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report, the Cubs would have the perfect trade partner with the Kansas City Royals. Although Chicago may not need Shaw, Kansas City does. The American League side is an up-and-coming team, but they seemingly have a significant hole at second base. Jonathan India is once again expected to be the team’s starter at the position, yet he underperformed a bit in 2025.
Along with potentially filling in at second base for the Royals, Shaw could be deployed in the outfield as well. Kansas City also has a few question marks in these positions heading towards opening day.
It remains to be seen what an asking price for Shaw would look like. The Royals, however, do not exactly have a premier prospect pool. In fact, ESPN recently ranked Kansas City’s minor leaguers as the 24th-best system in baseball. Nevertheless, they do have solid young MLB-ready pitchers, and the Cubs could always use extra arms.
Cubs Might Look to Acquire More Pitching
Soon after the 2025 season was finished, it was revealed that Cubs management felt they were at least one quality pitcher short during the unsuccessful playoff run. Although they added Cabrera, Chicago has lost three solid relievers this offseason in Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, and Andrew Kittredge.
The Cubs may ultimately opt to keep Shaw if their price tag is not met or if Hoerner does not sign an extension. His place in the team was recently put under further threat when Chicago signed outfielder Michael Conforto, though. Kevin Alcantara, Justin Dean, Dylan Carlson, and Chas McCormick are all options in these positions as well.
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