3 burning questions the Chicago Cubs are nowhere close to answering

3. Will the Cubs find a real solution at third base?

The decision not to make a more aggressive push for Alex Bregman may come to haunt the Cubs by the end of the year. Although they liked the former Astros third baseman, the front office was handily beaten out in the bidding for his services, leaving them to go with their young top prospect Matt Shaw. Despite hitting at every level he's played at, it took only 68 plate appearances and a 64 wRC+ to pull the plug and send him back to Iowa.

Shaw's future isn't in question. Plenty of Cubs stars have experienced struggles and demotions on their way to becoming established regulars. It does, however, open a question about third base. As of now, the team's options aren't pretty with Gage Workman, Jon Berti, Vidal Brujan, and Justin Turner as their best options. Workman, a Rule 5 pick, may be in jeopardy, considering he isn't hitting and his supposedly strong glove isn't translating at all, as shown by his two routine errors in Tuesday's Dodgers game. Turner, meanwhile, is more of a DH at this point than a fielder and also isn't hitting yet.

Berti appears to be the best option as a big league veteran with a career 94 wRC+ and serviceable defense, but he's hardly what you would hope for from what's typically an offense-heavy position. Moreover, forcing him to cover third base regularly removes his value as a utility man. Brujan is the wild card of the bunch, bringing former top prospect status from the Marlins and Rays that has yet to translate to the majors. Mixing and matching all four of these options isn't much better and echoes the third base purgatory they were stuck in a year ago with Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal, and more.

The offense is clicking well enough that the hole at third isn't too noticeable right now. Among all teams, the Cubs are second in wRC+ (122), third in home runs (34), and far and away first in RBIs (142) so far. There will likely come a time, though, when some of their hitters cool down, and having a bigger bat at the hot corner will feel necessary. Shaw might come back up in that time and become a more potent offensive force, but there's no guarantee he'll even blossom into a competent hitter this year. Development can take time. Is that the only option to hope for? Will they have to give up prospect capital for a temporary solution?

If the answer to the overall question of a solution at third base is "no," that says nothing good about the team's approach in what is billed as a "win now" season. The hope is that Shaw will take the necessary steps forward, or an unforeseen option will reveal itself, before we have to confront that reality. That answer might not come soon, though.