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Identifying One Trade Target to Fix Cubs' Biggest Roster Hole

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joel Reuter | Last updated May 14, 2025 11:09 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs left a clear path for top prospect Matt Shaw to claim the starting third base job heading into the 2025 season, and while his future remains extremely bright, a slow start and an early demotion back to Triple-A has left the hot corner as a major question mark.

Veteran utility man Jon Berti has seen the bulk of the playing time since he was optioned, with light-hitting Nicky Lopez also making a handful of starts, and the result has been an ugly .180/.278/.209 line and zero home runs from the third base position in 2025.

At a certain point, the Cubs can't simply accept third base being an offensive black hole, and shuttling Shaw back and forth between Triple-A is only going to impede his development, so next time they call him up, they need to be confident he is in a position to succeed.

In the meantime, swinging a trade for a low-cost veteran to help plug the hole makes sense, and Yoán Moncada is a trade target worth considering, one the Cubs actually showed interest in during the offseason.

Several teams, including the Cubs, Mariners, and Blue Jays, remain interested in 3B Yoan Moncada, per sources.

The third baseman market continues to wait on what happens with Alex Bregman.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 5, 2025

The longtime Chicago White Sox third baseman ultimately signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels during the offseason, and he is hitting .244/.393/.511 for a 154 OPS+ with four doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI in 56 plate appearances.

The oft-injured former top prospect has already taken a trip to the IL earlier this year with a thumb strain, but he has been swinging it well since returning on May 6, showing no ill-effects of the injury with a .292/.414/.708 line and five extra-base hits in seven games.

It won't take much in the way of prospect capital to acquire him if the Cubs are willing to absorb what's left of his 2025 salary, especially considering the Angels once again appear more likely to finish in the AL West cellar than they do to contend for a playoff spot.

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

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