As trade speculation continues, Cubs fans will love the latest Matt Shaw update

A lot can happen between now and when players report to spring training next month. The Chicago Cubs could head into camp content with their offseason moves, but rumors continue to swirl around more potential additions - and possible subtractions - as we head into late January.

Nico Hoerner speculation aside, no rumor has garnered as much attention as that surrounding a potential Matt Shaw trade. For many of the same reasons teams have interest in Hoerner (the Cubs' infield logjam being chief among them), Shaw makes sense as a potential moveable piece. But Chicago doesn't need to move either player. In fact, I'd argue rostering both makes this a much more complete ballclub.

Cubs' Matt Shaw is already in Arizona putting in outfield work

To that note, Cubs fans will be pleased to see that Shaw is already at the team's facilities in Arizona, putting in work to expand his defensive capabilities. In other words, he's taking the path traveled by so many before him - including Chicago's own four-time Gold Glover, Ian Happ, turning himself into a full-blown utility player.

If you'll recall, Happ played all over the diamond early in his MLB career, seeing limited reps at second and third as recently as 2021. It was the same story with Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist, two guys who plugged whatever hole existed in the Cubs' lineup on a given day - and, now, Shaw looks to do the same.

With Alex Bregman entrenched at third and, at least for one more year, Hoerner locked in as the everyday second baseman (not to mention the reigning NL Gold Glove winner at the keystone), Shaw is without a clear home defensively. The clearest path to playing time is obvious: become more versatile and learn to play the outfield.

This also deepens the roster, as a whole, with Shaw coming off the bench. Last year, the Cubs threw the kitchen sink at building a productive bench, but came up empty with a painful lack of production from the group, as a whole. If Shaw can make strides at the plate and find more consistency both with his mechanics and results, the added defensive possibilities will go a long way toward helping take the pressure off the everyday guys.