How Alex Bregman Fits Into The Cubs’ Lineup

It’s a big-time swing for the Cubs, another boost to the roster following their trade for Edward Cabrera. They’re looking to build on last season’s 92-win ball club that came one win away from the National League Championship Series but ultimately fell to the rival Milwaukee Brewers.

It’s also a move that helps fill the hole in the lineup left by Kyle Tucker. However, considering Tucker is a right fielder and Bregman plays third base, it’s not a one-to-one replacement. Inserting Bregman into the lineup won’t necessarily be seamless, even if he overall makes it better.

So how exactly does he fit in? What can Chicago do to make it all work? Let’s examine some possible routes.

Bregman Takes Over Third, Shaw Gets Traded

Bregman should become the Cubs’ everyday third baseman. He’s an impact bat with a Gold Glove to his name, and they paid a ton of money to bring him to Chicago. Any different scenario really wouldn’t make much sense.

The biggest question that brings, though, is what does that mean for Matt Shaw?

Shaw had an interesting rookie season, going through the ups and downs as a hitter but also finishing as a Gold Glove finalist at third. Team leadership had expressed confidence in Shaw as their starter at that position moving forward before Bregman joined the team.

Bringing in Bregman doesn’t mean president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the rest of the front office have lost any of that confidence in Shaw. It does, however, make Shaw expendable in a way.

With Bregman taking over the hot corner, that gives Chicago a starting infield of him, Dansby Swanson (shortstop), Nico Hoerner (second base) and Michael Busch (first base). That’s a strong group of defenders. Three of them have won Gold Gloves in their careers.

Shaw can man at least two, potentially three, of those positions, but it’s unlikely he’d start ahead of anyone mentioned. By definition, he’d end up a bench player.

That’s not the worst thing for a developing player, but it also means less playing time for someone who at this time last year was one of the top prospects in baseball. Perhaps the way to proceed, then, would be trading him away.

Doing so would take advantage of a player who at least has shown Gold Glover-caliber chops at a relatively new position. He also flashed his potential at the plate at different points in 2025. He’d certainly still be an intriguing young player to teams around MLB.

Trading Shaw would mean parting ways with a player under club control for six more seasons. That’s years of cheap control for a potentially big piece of the future. It wouldn’t be easy to let that go.

But again, Bregman makes him somewhat expendable for this team, at least for 2026. Depending on what Shaw would net in return, trading him now could make sense.

Bregman Takes Third, Shaw Moves To Second, Hoerner Gets Traded

If the Cubs want to keep Shaw around in the infield with Bregman, another route they could take would be to move Hoerner.

The 28-year-old, two-time Gold Glover signed an extension prior to the 2023 season, but that’s set to expire after this season. The one year and roughly $12 million remaining on his contract shouldn’t scare any interested teams away.

He’s a premium defender at second base. The season before Chicago signed Swanson, he proved to be a reliable shortstop, too. That’d be attractive for any club seeking a middle-infield upgrade.

Hoerner isn’t a power hitter, and in terms of wRC+, he’s not well-above average. But he’s an excellent contact hitter. He hit for a .297 batting average in 2025, and he finished in the 99th percentile in whiff rate (11.2%) and strikeout rate (7.6%). He was also super-reliable in the clutch, posting a 163 wRC+ in what FanGraphs considers high-leverage situations.

Overall, he’s been worth over 4 fWAR in three of the last four seasons (including a career-high 4.8 last year), the fourth being a 3.9 fWAR finish. That, combined with his current contract, means he could easily attract suitors.

The Cubs may not want to risk losing him for nothing after 2026. By trading Hoerner, they could get some prospect value back, and they’d open a new everyday spot for Shaw at second base. There are valid reasons Chicago could look to deal Hoerner now that Bregman is in town.

Everyone Stays Put

It makes sense for the Cubs to at least listen if teams express interest in Shaw or Hoerner. Bregman gives them that kind of luxury.

But at least in this writer’s mind, they should keep them all around.

This team has focused on defense and run prevention when building the roster over the last few years. A defensive infield of Bregman, Swanson, Hoerner and Busch might be as good as any in MLB. That would move Shaw to more of a super-utility player, one capable of allowing Bregman, Swanson and Hoerner more days off throughout the long season.

Would it be better for Shaw’s development to have a starting spot and everyday at-bats? Possibly, but right now, Chicago’s main focus is winning as many games as possible in 2026. Having that starting infield with Shaw as a utility man, one who presents a clear upgrade over previous bench infielders, helps the Cubs do that.

Trading Hoerner just isn’t the smartest move. Chicago would not only be losing a reliable, clutch bat and a Gold Glove defender; it would also lose a team leader and fan favorite, one who brings an elite work ethic and day-to-day consistency. Yes, he could leave after this season. But not everything has to be a business decision, particularly when a team is trying to compete.

Trading Shaw also feels like a move the Cubs just shouldn’t do. He’s potentially a big piece of this team’s future, and to tie it back to their current second-base starter, if Hoerner does indeed love next offseason, Shaw would present a built-in replacement with a good amount major league experience.

Adding Bregman was a massive move for Chicago. He’ll help this team win games in 2026 and should continue to do so in the few years after.

Does bringing him in present some playing time challenges? Of course, but that’s a good problem to have. The Cubs should trust that manager Craig Counsell can manage that well, and they should keep both Shaw and Hoerner around.