Is Matt Shaw the Cubs' future at third base?

Where will Matt Shaw play for the Cubs when he arrives in the big leagues?

That’s a legitimate question when it comes to how Shaw fits into the organization’s plans moving forward. Considering the 22-year-old’s quick rise to through the Cubs’ system in 2023 — he was already with Double-A Tennessee roughly seven weeks after getting drafted 13th overall last summer — a big league promotion in the very near future, even sometime in 2024, isn’t out of the question.

Of his 38 minor league games, 30 featured him either at shortstop or second base. Including his time in college at Maryland and in summer leagues, the majority of his time has come at those two positions.

The issue is, however, that for at least the next three seasons, opportunities at either spot on the Cubs will be limited. Dansby Swanson just won his second consecutive National League Gold Glove at shortstop, and he’s signed through 2029. Nico Hoerner matched Swanson with his first career Gold Glove at second base, and he’s signed through 2026. Barring injuries, it’s unlikely the Cubs would move either off those positions.

So this winter, Shaw has worked to increase his versatility around the diamond to open up more opportunities for him to move up the ladder.

Shaw said during the Cubs Convention last weekend that he’s spent the offseason taking “probably 99 percent” of his reps at third base. He only played three games at third after debuting in the minors last year, so he wanted to take time this winter to “get used to the position, get comfortable there.”

He hasn’t even hit yet, he said. It’s been a big focus on improving defensively.

“Defense, a little contrary to hitting, is something that if you do a lot of, you get better,” Shaw said. “You can take 1,000 reps in the cage every day, and you might not get much better. But there’s an art to defense where putting in the time, effort, taking the ground balls — over a long period of time, you start to just read the hops better. First step, lateral movement, whatever it may be, that all gets better in the process.”

As for his work at third base, Shaw hasn’t made that his biggest offseason focus just because that’s seemingly his easiest path to the big leagues. Again, he wanted to increase his overall versatility in case a door opens somewhere other than in the positions he’s grown most comfortable. Getting the chance to listen to big leaguers Hoerner and Ian Happ recently reinforced that idea for him.

“You never know where the opportunities are gonna come,” Shaw said. “They could be anywhere. It could be in the outfield. So, just being all around, being able to play any position. I listened to Nico the other day, he said something about how valuable it is that he was able to do that. He was someone who could play outfield, play third, play short, play second — really play anywhere.

“You look at guys like that that are in the organization that have been really successful, and you’re like, OK, that makes sense. That’s the type of guy they want, and so you want to be that guy.”

One of the bigger questions about Shaw, even before he was drafted, was about his arm strength.

The Cubs had success converting Nick Madrigal — who had similar concerns around his arm — into a third baseman last season, where he finished with eight Defensive Runs Saved and 10 Outs Above Average. He wasn’t making plays in foul territory like Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado, but he turned into a solid defender at the hot corner.

But just because the Cubs had success with Madrigal doesn’t mean the same will happen with Shaw. Building up his arm will only improve his outlook as a third baseman, so that’s been a big part of his work this winter.

“Defense and arm strength have been the focus of the offseason,” Shaw said. “You just kind of slowly piece together, get a little bit better, and over the long term, it makes a big difference. So that’s something I’m really, really excited for this spring, something I’ve put a lot of time and effort into, and I just look forward to having the opportunity to be out there and have people to see it.”

The bat has absolutely played for Shaw since making the jump to pro ball. He hit at all three levels he reached in 2023, slashing .292/.329/.523 in 15 games in Double-A and posting an overall line of .357/.400/.618 on the year. Shaw is pretty level-headed and understands it likely won’t always be that easy — “I was lucky enough to have a good couple months, and I’m sure there’s gonna be months where it’s not very good,” he said — but if that continues, it’ll be hard to keep him down for long.

But the Cubs are also looking for their long-term answer at third base. So, if his offseason defensive work can translate to on-field success over the long haul, there’s a very real chance the Cubs may already have their third baseman of the future in the system.