Chicago Cubs Positional Preview: Is this the year third base finally stabilizes?

Third base has been a position of mystery for the Chicago Cubs throughout the entirety of the offseason. When the 2024 season came to an end, it appeared that Isaac Paredes would be the third baseman of the future for the Cubs, but that came to an end when Paredes was sent to Houston in the trade that saw Chicago acquire All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.

After that, it was widely assumed that top prospect Matt Shaw would be the one tasked with playing the hot corner in 2025 for the Cubs. That remained the expectation throughout the offseason until out of nowhere, Chicago was reportedly closing in on a deal for former Astros third baseman Alex Bregman.

Even though Shaw had been vocal about his preferred position being third base, signing Bregman more than likely would've seen Shaw move to second base, with those persistent Nico Hoerner trade rumors again taking center stage. Ultimately, Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox and the job was Shaw's again.

Now, with Shaw having just made his Cactus League debut on Sunday, it remains to be seen if the Cubs will be comfortable carrying him on the roster to Japan in two weeks. If he's left behind in Arizona to keep getting regular work in preparation for the domestic opener at the end of the month, there are a number of other names who could get the nod at third for the Tokyo Series.

Gage Workman is the first popular name that could potentially make his MLB debut in Japan. Workman was selected by the Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft back in December and he must begin the season on the 26-man roster or be returned back to Detroit, the team Chicago poached him from.

Workman is off to a scorching hot start in the spring, as he has an average of .316 with two home runs, seven runs driven in and a 1.023 OPS. Workman, a left-handed hitter, hit his first home run off of a left-handed pitcher, an extremely promising sign for the young third baseman.

Jon Berti is another option for the Cubs at third base but it very likely that Berti will play second base with Nico Hoerner not making the trip to Japan with Chicago. Berti isn't off to the greatest start in spring, as he is just 2-for-9 at the plate and has just a .586 OPS. He has never been known for his power, but his ability to reach base and steal bases has kept him floating around on MLB rosters.

Berti signed a big-league deal this winter and is a near-lock to make the Opening Day roster. Workman is in competition with Vidal Brujan for what appears to be the final spot on the 26-man and it could come down to who performs better in the coming weeks - although Brujan does offer more defensive versatility.

Veteran Justin Turner has been putting in a lot of work at third since signing with the Cubs, but he's not a sustainable long-term solution there at this point in his career. Still, seeing him start the two games in Japan isn't totally out of the realm of possibility if Craig Counsell prioritizes offense over defense against the Dodgers.

Big-picture, the job is Shaw's to lose this year - and the Cubs are betting heavily on his ability to lock it down for them. In recent years, Chicago has run out a smorgasbord of below-average players there, including the likes of Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, David Bote, Christopher Morel, Miles Mastrobuoni and more. They haven't had an impactful presence at the position since Kris Bryant more than five years ago - and Shaw could change that this season.