CHICAGO — When the Cubs tried to land Alex Bregman in free agency last year, there was a clear void at third base. Matt Shaw had no plate appearances in the big leagues at the time, making a star like Bregman an obvious possibility.
One year later, the infield situation has changed for the Cubs, but that hasn’t changed Chicago’s continued interest in Bregman after he hit the open market.
“Honestly the first second that free agency actually opened,” Bregman said, “we knew the Cubs wanted our family to be here and we were excited about it.”
The Cubs pursued Bregman in free agency again this winter and signed him to a five-year, $175 million contract that became effective Wednesday, followed by a press conference Thursday at Wrigley Field. The question that remains now after the signing is whether Bregman’s arrival makes second baseman Nico Hoerner or Shaw a potential trade chip.
As things currently stand, the Cubs’ outfield consists of Michael Busch at first, Hoerner at second, Dansby Swanson at shortstop and Bregman at third. Shaw could slide into a relief role, or the 24-year-old could move to second, if Hoyer finds a potential trade partner to move Hoerner away from the Cubs.
Hoyer acknowledged that he has fielded calls about various trade scenarios.
“The calls are always coming in,” Hoyer said Thursday. “It’s our job to listen to things, it’s always our job, it’s always our job to want to make the team better, it doesn’t mean that.” look to do something. However, people will call and the job is to listen. “
Why are the Cubs considering trading Hoerner?
The Bregman deal — even with a $70 million deduction — pushes Chicago’s payroll closer to the original Competitive Balance Tax threshold ($244 million). With the veteran Hoerner set for free agency after ’26, moving his $12 million salary this season would create more cap space below that line.
All that said, the 28-year-old Hoerner is a two-time National League shortstop last season and boasts one of baseball’s best contact ratings. He was a first-round pick of the Cubs in ’18, signed a three-year extension in ’23 and has grown into a leader behind the scenes both in practice and in speech.
“I’ve said a lot about Alex, I can’t say about Nico,” said Hoyer. “A very good person. A great player. He leads by example. He’s a guy we’ve done for him, we’ve developed, we’ve expanded and I think the world of Nico.”
Asked again later about whether Hoerner might be a trade candidate, Hoyer limited his response to further praise for the second baseman.
“He’s a big part of our team,” Hoyer said. “He does a lot of things on the field in a great way, so I’m glad he’s a Cub.”
Bregman noted that he has already exchanged texts with Hoerner and was looking forward to seeing him at the Cubs Convention this weekend.
“I heard he’s amazing,” Bregman said. “All the guys love him. He’s a student of the game. He plays hard. He shows he’s ready to play every day. He’s a guy who wants to win really bad. I’m looking forward to being my teammate.”
If the Cubs aren’t hit with any trade offers, there’s still a way to continue with the team as it’s currently constructed.
As a rookie last season, Shaw went through growing pains, but made the most of a trip back to Triple-A Iowa and enjoyed a strong second half. While Shaw looked more than third, Hoyer didn’t decide to give the Cubs coverage at multiple positions.
“We have guys who can play different positions well,” said Hoyer. “We will be celebrating [the World Series team from] 2016 this weekend. And Kris Bryant played third base and left field that year. Javy Baez played everywhere. You didn’t have one set position for those guys. You can rock really good players.
“And you’re not going to be fully healthy all year. You’re going to need days off. And there’s a lot of at-bats out there if you can move around and play different spots.”
Hoyer was asked if Shaw could be considered an option on the field.
“Absolutely,” Hoyer said. “Matt Shaw is a great athlete. He didn’t play third down much and was a Gold Glove finalist last year. I have no questions about his defense at any position or his ability to read. To me, that’s not a concern at all.”
