The Cubs entered the winter with an expected infield lineup of Shaw at third, Dansby Swanson in short, Hoerner on second and Michael Busch initially. Adding Bregman at third blocks Shaw from a regular role. He was primarily a third baseman, but also played center infield. That has contributed somewhat to Hoerner’s trade speculation. Since Hoerner is a looming free agent, there’s an argument for turning him now and putting Shaw at second base.
But Hoerner is much more established as a useful big-league player than Shaw. The latter just made his debut last year and has 126 big league games to his name. During that time, he produced a sub-par batting line of .226/.295/.394, leading to a 93 wRC+. He was better in the second half, with a .258/.317/.522 line and 130 wRC+, but in a fairly small sample size of 205 plate appearances.
Hoerner, on the other hand, has been a regular customer for years. He has played at least 135 games in each of the past four campaigns. He doesn’t have tremendous power, but he’s tough to strike and has consistently been an above-average hitter with that contact approach. He also has excellent defense and speed. According to FanGraphs, the combination has been worth at least 3.9 wins above replacement for four years in a row.
Subtracting Hoerner and filling in for Shaw would risk the team being noticeably relegated in 2026, a year in which the Cubs clearly want to compete. They just made the postseason in 2025 and have been aggressively adding to the club this winter through their signing of Bregman and the Edward Cabrera trade.
If a team makes them a strong offer, they obviously have to weigh the pros and cons. Over the past week, the Giants, Mariners and Yankees have been linked to Hoerner in rumors. But it also appears the club could opt to use Shaw as a utility this year. If Hoerner is not extended, he would leave after 2026, leaving Shaw to open at second base and move into a more regular role.
Shaw has no outfield experience as a professional. Since being selected 13th overall in 2023, he has played third base and the two middle infield spots in the minors. Last year in the major leagues he played mostly third with just six innings at keystone and none at shortstop. He played a bit in the outfield in the early parts of his collegiate career, but was largely kept in the middle infield as time went on.
During his Major League stint last year, Shaw’s sprint speed ranked in the 90th percentile among Major League players. That athleticism gives him a nice edge in terms of being a viable outfielder, but the Cubs will likely want to get him reps in the spring if they plan to continue using Shaw as a super utility man.
Teams love that kind of versatility and there could be clear advantages for the Cubs when it comes to playing matchups. Shaw hit from the right side and had noticeable platoon splits in his first big league season. He had a .218/.287/.362 line and 82 wRC+ against righties, but a .250/.318/.490 line and 125 wRC+ with the platoon advantage.
The Cubs’ project is to have a pair of left-handed bats in their regular lineup Pete Crow Armstrong in center, Busch at first base and Moises Ballesteros probably catching and serving as the designated hitter. They have all fared better against righties in their respective careers, with Crow-Armstrong particularly struggling against lefties. Ian Happ is also a switch-hitter who has had more success in his career as a left-handed hitter.
There is also the fact that Seiya Suzuki could spend more time in the outfield with the way the roster is currently constructed. He was the designated hitter for most of last year, but the departure of Kyle Tucker means he will spend more time on the grass. Outs Above Average has Suzuki rated as six outs below average in his career and Defensive Runs Saved has him at minus five. Even if he gets a lot of starts, the Cubs could replace him defensively later in games. Having another viable outfielder on the roster obviously helps with that.
This is all dependent on everyone being healthy, as one injury can quickly change the whole picture, but that also underlines the importance of some versatility. If Shaw can play well in the outfield, it will be easier to rotate players based on health and matchups. Currently, the bench has a backup catcher Miguel Amaya and first baseman Tyler Austin next to Shaw and outfielder Justin Dean. The latter is a strong defender and baserunner, but has bigger questions about his bat. It is also still optional.
Getting into the lineup regularly would also be good for Shaw from a development perspective. As mentioned, he only just made his Major League debut last year. He was generally subpar at the plate, but seemingly improved as the season progressed. Filling a part-time role and missing reps wouldn’t be ideal long-term, especially if he has to take over for Hoerner at second base in a year. Finding a way for him to get 400 to 600 plate appearances even if he doesn’t have a clear position would be good for both him and the club.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images
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