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Cubs Trade Idea Addresses Position of Need with Braves Infielder

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Griffin Goodwyn | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 12:45 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs, with a National League-best 45-28 record in tow, possess one of the best offenses in baseball. When stacked up against the league's 29 other teams, the Cubs are second in runs scored (390, only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' 417), fifth in home runs (99), sixth in batting average (.254), and fourth in OPS (.760).

What's surprising about these numbers is the fact that very little of this production has come from the team's third basemen. Rookie Matt Shaw has the most at-bats of any player at the position this year (148), but he has totaled just two home runs and nine RBIs, along with a .230 batting average. Jon Berti, Nick Lopez, and Gage Workman have zero home runs and just five RBIs combined.

As the Cubs approach the trade deadline, third base will be one of their most glaring needs, in addition to starting pitching. Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer believes the Cubs could find precisely what they are looking for in Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley, should the team decide to let him go.

"Another bat for the Cubs? Don't they have enough?" Rymer wrote. "They do for the most part, but third base has been a shockingly weak spot to the tune of a .557 OPS and a lone home run. It's an area they should want to address, and even the current iteration of Riley would be a monumental upgrade.

"Moreover, getting him would give the Cubs some protection in the event Kyle Tucker walks as a free agent this winter. The two aren't on the same level now, but that would be a different conversation if Riley recaptured his 2021-23 form."

Rymer adds that the Braves' trend of signing their top players to lengthy extensions before free agency, like Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II, may contribute to their willingness to see a deal with Riley materialize.

"They barely made the playoffs in 2024 and are now seven games under .500 here in 2025. They're also in a tight spot with their payroll, as all those extensions have created a high floor of guaranteed dollars on a year-to-year basis," Rymer wrote.

"They ought to be thinking about who can go to create space, and Austin Riley is the best answer on two counts: The 28-year-old is making a lot of money, and he's fallen into a weird sort of rut offensively. Whereas Riley was good for a 135 OPS+ and 30-plus homers between 2021 and 2023, his last two seasons have yielded a 113 OPS+ and about 27 homers per 162 games. And this year, he's fanned 91 times while drawing only 19 walks [as of the time of publication on June 18]."

Through 72 games this season with the Braves, Riley is slashing .275/.326/.431 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 1.1 WAR (according to Baseball Reference).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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