It sure sounds like Matt Shaw will fill latest Chicago Cubs' offseason need

When the Chicago Cubs acquired Isaac Paredes from the Tampa Bay Rays, it seemed that the team had their answer to a question that has plagued the Major League roster since Kris Bryant was traded in 2021.

Under team control for multiple seasons, Paredes was pegged to be the Cubs' short-term answer at third base. The expectation was that Paredes would be given the 2025 season to give a full-season sample size of what he can offer at third base for the Cubs.

Of course, when the Cubs began their offseason preparations, they probably were not planning on the Houston Astros making superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker available. Credit to Jed Hoyer for wasting no time on that front as within a week of the Astros making Tucker available, he became the first Cubs' superstar since the trade of Bryant and the rest of the 2016 World Series winning core.

In doing so, the Cubs opened up third base.

While there are certainly external options available for the Cubs at third base, all signs point to top prospect Matt Shaw getting the first opportunity to address that need.

In his latest "What I'm hearing" intel for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal mentioned that one of the goals for the Cubs this offseason was to open a spot for Shaw.

"The Cubs needed to trade a second baseman or third baseman to clear a spot for No. 1 prospectMatt Shaw, the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft," Rosenthal writes.

During the Winter Meetings, there were reports of the Cubs talking a trade with the Seattle Mariners that would include Nico Hoerner. After trading Paredes for Tucker, Rosenthal doesn't think there's a likely chance of the Cubs moving Hoerner.

It wasn't just Rosenthal pointing to Shaw being the Opening Day third baseman for the Cubs.

A Cubs' team source seemed bullish on the idea while talking to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

"Shaw may not be a polished third baseman at this early stage of his career, but a team source said it’s hard to bet against a player with that much focus, as well as more athleticism than he gets credit for," Sharma and Mooney reported.

Kyle Tucker's arrival is great for Matt Shaw's imminent debut

With Tucker now the cornerstone of the Cubs' lineup, it lengthens roster. Rather than fans looking at Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki and wanting more, the output they've had in recent seasons will be the perfect supplement to Tucker and the impact he will be have. Beyond that, when Shaw does make his debut, there won't be pressure on him to be the savior of the team's inconsistent offense.