Cubs' backup plans at third coming into focus after Gleyber Torres joins the Tigers?

Gleyber Torres' run in the Bronx is at an end, and the 27-year-old former Chicago Cubs prospect is gearing up to join Javier Baez in the Motor City. That news comes on the heels of a report that the infielder turned down an undisclosed contract offer from the Washington Nationals due to an unwillingness to change positions and play third base in 2025.

Torres, a below-average defender even at second, would be an interesting candidate to move over to the hot corner for any team given the clear drop-off in arm strength we've seen from him in recent years. An All-Star as a rookie in 2018 and again in 2019, he's failed to recapture that form of late, but is still, more or less, an average to slightly above-average bat with real power potential.

The Chicago Cubs never made sense for Torres with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner locked in up the middle. Maybe if the team had more seriously pursued a trade of Hoerner that may have increased the chances, but the fit has been less than perfect from the get-go. But this new report offers a glimpse at a third base market the Cubs have at least some stake in given their need for an insurance policy to slot in alongside or behind top prospect Matt Shaw next spring.

Looking past the top of the market (namely Alex Bregman) - Josh Rojas, a glove-first option, Yoan Moncada and veteran Jon Berti could all, at least in theory, fit what the Cubs are looking for. If they're serious about letting Shaw seize the starting job in spring training, they need to thread the needle between a guy who could start - but also wouldn't be turned off by losing regular ABs to a rookie, a delicate balance to strike.

The bench, in general, will need attention between now and the end of the offseason, even if Jed Hoyer is planning on rostering a rookie or two besides Shaw. Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara both make sense as possibilities, and Carson Kelly will also take a spot as the team's second catcher.

Berti and Rojas both have a history of playing all over the diamond, which could be valuable for a team like the Cubs - while Moncada has been solely a third baseman for five years. None should break the bank, and if teams are sniffing around guys like Torres as potential position-change guys, that could give Hoyer a chance to corner the name of his liking to bolster the infield depth sooner rather than later.