Alex Bregman's arrival shifts Shaw to the outfield. Despite early struggles, his bat shows promise, raising questions about his long-term fit and potential trade value.
There are a lot of question marks about Matt Shaw’s future with the Chicago Cubs.
Shaw has no doubt been cast aside after starting 126 games at the hot corner in 2025. The young infielder was the Cubs’ third baseman of the future before the team decided to sign Alex Bregman to a big five-year, $175 million deal in free agency.
That deal led Shaw to learn a brand-new position this spring. With Bregman, Nico Hoerner, and Dansby Swanson all locked into everyday roles in the infield, Shaw worked hard to quickly accustom himself to his new role in the outfield.
Unfortunately, there have been some struggles for Shaw in the outfield to begin the season. His Fielding Run Value is down from last year, and there have been a few instances where he has looked shaky in right field.
It’s not a total surprise to see Shaw have some early-season struggles in the outfield. There will be some growing pains for him at a position that he has never played before in his professional career.
That begs the question of whether it's time to trade Shaw.
The only spot for Shaw to play in the field moving forward is the outfield. Bregman is signed through the 2030 season, Swanson is signed through the 2029 season, and Hoerner is now signed through the 2032 season following his latest contract extension.
Despite all that, the Cubs should not be looking to trade Shaw right now. He is only 24 years old and is under team control through the 2031 season. Getting rid of a player who has less than 500 career plate appearances wouldn’t be a smart move by the front office.
It’s simply too early to pull the plug on Shaw. He is continuing to develop and has shown some encouraging things at the plate in the early going.
The former top prospect came off the bench on Monday and roped a 101.3 mph single up the middle. Shaw then put together a few quality at-bats in Wednesday’s win. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in that game, which included an eight-pitch at-bat that resulted in an RBI single in the third inning.
The potential is there for Shaw to be a good Major League hitter. He has taken significant strides this offseason to be a more consistent hitter, and both his whiff rate (11.4%) and strikeout rate (6.3%) are drastically down from his rookie season.
The Cubs also need Shaw to potentially fill their outfield in 2027 and beyond. With both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki set to become free agents next offseason, Shaw could be in line to start at one of the corner outfield spots.
The North Siders shouldn’t consider trading away Shaw only 13 months after his Major League debut. His defense in the outfield will get better with experience, and his hitting should improve in his second year.