Matt Shaw to Get ‘Long Look’ at 3B, Michael Busch Viewed Solely as 1B
This topic feels like more of a given and I’m already up to nearly 2,600 words today, so let’s keep it short and sweet. Jed Hoyer provided a little insight into the Cubs’ plans for the 2025 season during a conference call with the media on Monday, specifically addressing the corner infield situation as it currently stands. Things could still change if Nico Hoerner is moved over the next several weeks, but it seems like he’s more of a lock to stay now that Isaac Paredes has been traded.
That move opened the door for Matt Shaw, who will get a “long look” at the hot corner during spring training. Manager Mike Scioscia was impressed with Shaw’s glove as well as his bat during Team USA’s bronze-medal showing at the Premier12 tournament in the fall.
“He had the opportunity to work with two of the best infield coaches that we have in the United States: Dino Ebel and Keith Johnson,” Scioscia told Jason Coskrey of The Japan Times. “The work they put in with Matt, it paid off quickly. You saw him play great defensive third base in this tournament. It’s a newer position for him, but with the Cubs, I think that’s where they’re projecting him to play as he gets in the major leagues.
“On the defensive side, he improved so much in just one month. On the offensive side, I think you saw his ability to drive the ball to all parts of the ballpark, and he runs the bases well. He’s got a great future.”
While he’ll always be a bat-first player, Shaw played a good bit of middle infield in college and has the athleticism to adjust to a new spot. And remember, we’re talking about a team that gave over 698 innings apiece to Patrick Wisdom, Christopher Morel, and Nick Madrigal over the last three seasons. That trio was responsible for -12 defensive runs saved and -27 outs above average in that time, and that’s with Madrigal at 8 and 6 in the respective categories.
Since the start of the 2022 season, the Cubs rank 22nd in MLB in DRS (-12) and last in OAA (-33). Simply being mediocre would make Shaw a significant improvement over most of the other options they’ve used lately, so it really feels like the job is his. Not that the front office is willing to admit that just yet, of course.
“He has to earn that job, I’m not going to gift him that on a conference call in the middle of December,” Hoyer quipped.
The Cubs’ baseball boss also brushed aside the notion of shifting Michael Busch across the diamond to third, saying the team sees him as a Gold Glove first baseman and that is their focus moving forward. People seem to have forgotten the fact that Busch played first for a vast majority of his collegiate career, with just one game at second and none at third. He played a little more second during summer ball and the Arizona Fall League, but only got moved there in pro ball to see if the power would play up at a new spot.
Busch has only ever played 75 games at third base over the last eight years; Shaw played 64 games there in 2024 alone. We should take all of this as further confirmation that Cody Bellinger is not being factored into the front office’s equations for next season, though the probability of him sticking around may have increased a little with the Yankees still playing chicken on how much guaranteed money they’re willing to take on.
Barring the need to work on his defense for long enough to prevent him from getting a year of service time in 2025 — which shouldn’t be an issue with prospect promotion incentives in place — I think Shaw breaks camp as the everything third baseman.