Cubs Boss Reveals Long-Term Positional Plan For Struggling Rookie Matt Shaw

The Chicago Cubs have had a terrific first half of the season ahead of the dog days of summer and have set themselves up to be a prime championship contender.

Though things have not been quite as pretty as of late with the Milwaukee Brewers not going anywhere and as red hot as anyone, this is a Cubs team that has a real shot this year.

With the trade deadline looming at the end of next week, many have openly wondered whether Chicago could try to upgrade one of their weak spots in the lineup as rookie third baseman Matt Shaw continues to struggle at the plate.

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Understandably, Cubs fans have clamored for Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez as he continues to go on a tear; however, it seems Chicago is as confident as ever in Shaw being able to turn it around.

While addressing both the immediate and long-term future of Shaw, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told media the team expects Shaw to be manning the hot corner at Wrigley Field for a long time.

"I think our path with Matt Shaw is that Matt’s gonna play a lot of third base for us, and that’s the plan," Counsell said via Marquee Sports Network. "We're gonna keep trying to help him get better and nothing about the schedule or calendar affects that."

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Though Counsell is of course not the one ultimately making the final call in terms of roster upgrades, it certainly sounds like someone who is not looking to give up major assets to put Shaw on the bench for the remainder of the season.

The 23-year-old owns a slash line of .210/.285/.304 with just three home runs and 16 RBI in his 66 games this season. Though the bat looked improved for Shaw after returning from an early-season demotion back to Triple-A, it cooled off once again and the power has just not been there.

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It should be noted that the belief in development for Shaw is not unfounded for the future, with Pete Crow-Armstrong serving as the best example having taken a massive leap from year one to year two.

Shaw has also improved a ton defensively over the course of the season and absolutely looks capable of being a big league third baseman for years to come.

The question is whether Chicago can afford to have such a weakness in the lineup during a year in which they should be competing for a championship if Shaw does not improve down the stretch.

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Though they may look to add some insurance and depth at the position, it certainly as of right now does not seem likely the Cubs are eager to make a huge move at third.

For better or worse, Shaw is this team's third baseman, and perhaps having the firm belief of the team behind him, the youngster can start to turn things around here in the near future.

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