Cubs insider pumps the brakes on wild Michael Busch rumor making the rounds

One of the popular fan theories that has made the rounds throughout the opening month of the Chicago Cubs season has been the idea that Michael Busch could make the transition from first base to third base,

If I'm being honest, the idea has always felt too "armchair MLB The Show" general manager to me. It seemed that Cubs fans saw that Busch played third base within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and felt that he could be the team's answer at a position that has been a black hole since the day Kris Bryant was traded.

It also seemed that, with this theory, Cubs fans were ignoring the obvious ascension Busch was making defensively at first base. While Busch's offensive production already has him among the best first basemen in all of Major League Baseball, his defensive growth has shown that he could be capable of winning a Gold Glove at the position in the coming seasons.

It seemed that all those factors weren't being considered when talking about the idea of Busch moving to third base. Well, Craig Counsell may be preparing to make that moot point. Before the Cubs' comeback victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night, Busch was spotted taking ground balls at third base.

Busch taking ground balls at third base, or at least, it being spotted for the first time publicly, coincided with the Cubs' promotion of Moises Ballesteros. Ballesteros went hitless in his Major League debut on Tuesday night, but the feeling is that his offense could be the reason he sticks on the Major League roster. Given the Cubs' current need at third base, and Ballesteros having a cup of coffee at first base during his minor-league ascension, fans are making the obvious connections that Busch could move to the hot corner and Ballesteros takes over first base.

The idea of Ballesteros playing first base speaks to Cubs fans not really looking at his playing time in the minors. Ballesteros, who would be undersized as a Major League first baseman, only had 13 games at first base once he passed through the Class-A level. With the Iowa Cubs over the last two seasons, Ballesteros has only played three games at first base. If we're being honest, it's a rather lazy assumption to make that Busch can move to third base with Ballesteros taking over first base.

Cubs fans are desperate for the team to have an answer at third base, and the answer remains Matt Shaw. If it's not Shaw, then the Cubs will be looking for an external solution.