Chicago Cubs face a dilemma: What to do with Matt Shaw

Shaw raked as an Iowa Cub as the collective Chicago Cub third base Plan B– Jon Berti, Gage Workman, Justin Turner, Vidal Brujan, Nicky Lopez– failed miserably.

With nowhere else to go for a third baseman, the Cubs pushed matters a bit and brought Shaw back up.

“Matt was playing well, and frankly we’ve been struggling at third base a little bit,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said at the time of the decision to recall the prospect. “It’s just a combination of the two things, you think you could give Matt another shot. He’s been down roughly a month … [got] 75 or so plate appearances under his belt, and did a nice job with that. So time for another chance.”

And Shaw put up some good numbers upon re-arriving, hitting .359 in the 11 games after his return.

Coming back to reality

But since June 1, Shaw is back below the Mendoza line, batting .193 as the everyday third baseman. And despite his defensive play having ticked up a notch, he’s almost back to his weak offensive ways prior to being sent down to Triple-A. Despite a feel-good walk-off sacrifice fly in extra innings Wednesday night against the Guardians, the fact remains that Shaw’s production has been in the dumper.

With no viable in-house replacements and the trade deadline approaching, some believe that the Cubs front office might be pursuing a more big league-ready third baseman for their playoff push.

Some, like Nick Hudson of On Tap Sports, are practically begging the Cubs to find a replacement:

“Matt Shaw, the highly regarded infield prospect, brought energy when he was called back up to the big leagues, and his versatility has been useful. However, the bat that made him a breakout candidate has cooled significantly. Through June, Shaw’s OPS has dipped, his strikeout rate has crept up, and the extra-base power has largely disappeared. He might still be part of the Cubs’ long-term plans, but in a go-for-it season, Chicago can’t afford to bet on hope that Shaw figures it out.”

The Chicago Cubs possible plans for third base

It was recently revealed that the Cubs had spoken to the Boston Red Sox about disgruntled slugger Rafael Devers. There have also been stories linking them to Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies, and Ke’Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pulling off a major trade for a full-time third baseman, though, would be tough. With starting pitching such a glaring need, it’s much more likely that the team’s trade capital will be invested in that pursuit.

There has also been talk about acquiring third base-capable bench assets who could take some of the playing time from Shaw. Luis Urias of the Oakland A’s and Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins have reportedly been discussed.

There’s also the distinct possibility that the Cubs could focus entirely on pitching acquisitions and leave things as they are, accepting Shaw as their best available option at third.

Whatever the case, the time for making a decision is fast approaching.