Will the Chicago Cubs move on from Matt Shaw in 2026?

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23-year-old rookie Matt Shaw was favored to be the Cubs’ starting third baseman before spring training even began. And, despite a rocky start that saw him sent back to the minors in mid-April, he made his way back to the big league Cubs and eventually outlasted the pack of backups amassed behind him to become the team’s only starting third baseman.

But, still, there’s fan and media chatter all over the place about moving on from Shaw. Already, before any moves have been made by anyone, names such as Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suarez, Nolan Arenado, and Japanese import Munetaka Murakami have already been brought up as possible replacements for Shaw.

On the surface, this buzz could be attributed to the fact that the Cubs seem pretty secure at every other position and, well, people need things to talk about. So, why not pick on the least secure positional spot?

The logic behind moving on from Shaw

But there’s also some logic behind pointing the finger at third.

Shaw’s defense was surprisingly stellar. However, he finished the year with offensive numbers slightly below league average on the season (.226 bating average, .690 OPS), even if his post-All-Star break stats were actually a little above league average (.258 batting average, .839 OPS). The argument is that, with Tucker likely to be gone, the Cubs will need to enhance their offensive prowess at the traditionally offense-heavy hot corner.

While Shaw did hit 13 home runs last season (11 of them after the All-Star break), the thought is that Chicago needs even more pop from that spot.

There’s also the belief that Shaw’s promise as a blossoming prospect would make him appealing trade bait in pursuit of a front-of-rotation pitcher.

Chicago Cubs seem “all-in” on Shaw

The Cubs, as of right now, have not shown any inclination of moving on from Shaw and have actually seemed to double down on their belief in him.

“I think we should all be really proud of what Matt’s done this year,” manager Craig Counsell told The Athletic in August. “He was hit in the face in the big leagues, (you see) how tough it is to be a hitter in the big leagues and survived it.

“The resiliency to continue to search for and know success is in there is an important trait. One you need to be successful. He’s done that. You don’t get defeated and beat, you just keep coming to work to try to find better answers. I think Matt’s continued to do that no matter what’s going on. It’s a sign of a good player. Now, some of the offensive talent that we all knew was in there is starting to come out a little more.”

There’s also the cold, hard reality that Shaw is making league-minimum salary and the Cubs probably really love the bang they’re getting for their buck. There’s no reason that the conservative, frugal Cubs will move on from someone working with a cheap contract who’s doing perfectly fine.

But maybe “perfectly fine” is not good enough to push this team forward in 2026. That’s what the Cubs will have to take into consideration this offseason when it comes to Matt Shaw’s future.