Cubs president Jed Hoyer's latest comments confirm it's Matt Shaw's time to shine

Ever since Isaac Paredes was dealt in the blockbuster trade for superstar Kyle Tucker, it has felt like the Chicago Cubs were bound to offer the third base job to top prospect Matt Shaw in 2025. It's been an open secret they've been trying to find a spot for the team's top prospect. Ken Rosenthal heard as much earlier this week and that would certainly track with the team's initial willingness to part with Nico Hoerner.

Now, the Cubs president himself has all but confirmed what's been written on the wall for a while now. On Tuesday, Jed Hoyer met with the media via Zoom to discuss the offseason thus far after pulling off arguably the most impactful trade of his tenure. Part of the discussion related to the newly-created hole at third base. Paredes was brought in as an affordable bridge of sorts to the team's top prospects, but with him gone, Shaw makes the most logical sense without an external addition.

"He can play second well, he can play third well,” Hoyer said regarding where Shaw stands defensively. "Right now, obviously, we’re going to give him a long look at third after we traded (Isaac) Paredes." There are still questions to be had about his glove, but his Premier12 performance with Team USA showed his potential as an athletic defender. Manager Mike Scioscia was particularly impressed by the plays Shaw was making and even noted how quickly he was improving with help from coaches Dino Ebol and Keith Johnson.

Hoyer sees the reality that it's time to start making room for the team's future, especially with more big names like Owen Caissie and Moises Ballesteros right behind Shaw. However, it's all about finding a tricky balance between giving these prospects time to adjust and remaining competitive at the big league level. He's not ready to declare anything about Shaw until they see him in Spring Training. "He has to earn that job," Hoyer continued. "I’m not going to gift him that job on a conference call in the middle of December, but certainly with what he’s done in the minor leagues since we’ve had him, he’s played really well."

Adding Tucker definitely helps the process. With a new impact bat who boasts a 139 career wRC+, the pressure is off Shaw to become the guy for a team without an anchor. Hoyer brought up Pete Crow-Armstrong's strong finish to 2024 when discussing the value of giving players a runway to adjust. That said, he's also not likely to leave the Cubs reliant on a prospect at any position. They're likely to add another infielder at the hot corner, which could put them in the market for cheaper options like Yoan Moncada as insurance

The Cubs have no plans of moving Michael Busch off of first

In case you were wondering if the Cubs would be open to sliding Michael Busch over to help, that option is out of the question. For one, Cody Bellinger is now gone to the Yankees, leaving no obvious options to take over unless they, again, look externally. That's also unlikely to happen as Hoyer emphasized that Busch is the guy at first base. He went as far as calling him Gold Glove-caliber, asserting that they're not keen on moving him off the position outside of emergencies.

In addition to being a solid offensive contributor with a 119 wRC+, Busch's defensive numbers largely back up Hoyer's confidence. He racked up 5 defensive runs saved at first last year and 2 outs above average. With him staying put, it's another strong indication that Nico Hoerner is likely staying in a Cubs uniform as well despite the rumors. That also further bolsters the likelihood of Shaw breaking camp with the team outside of the team doing something unforeseen and uncharacteristic. A strong spring may even earn him the starting third base job out of the gate.