The Chicago Cubs gave up a lot to get Isaac Paredes from the Tampa Bay Rays near the trade deadline last season. Then, they got rid of Paredes.
Dealt in the deal to bring in Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, Paredes was brought to Chicago last season in exchange for the mega-talented but frustratingly inconsistent Christopher Morel, highly-regarded pitching prospect Hunter Bigge, and A ball pitching prospect Ty Johnson.
Isaac Paredes Comes In, Goes Out
At the time, Paredes was thought to be the answer to the Cubs’ deep, deep hole at third base.
Paredes, however, struggled (and grumbled) in Chicago, batting a sickly .223 with just 3 home runs in 212 plate appearances. He also looked uncharacteristically flat defensively. He was an improvement over the bumbling Morel at the hot corner, but that’s not saying much at all.
So, when the Cubs saw the opportunity to move him, they did. In Houston– a right-hand pull hitter’s paradise, he should do well and make Cubs fans fume over what they gave up for one year of Tucker.
That leaves Chicago with, on the surface, the same hole at third base they had headed into the 2024 season. And, to make matters worse, they traded away a legit top third base prospect in Cam Smith as part of the Tucker deal.
Chicago Cubs Third Base Options
There’s the remote possibility that the team could dip into the free agent pool for a temporary hole-filler.
Forget Alex Bregman, right off the bat. The Cubs won’t put that kind of money into any free agent. Other open market options are there, but not very appealing, with Yoan Moncada and Enrique Hernandez topping the “best of the rest available” list at third base.
“I think you have to keep all options open, especially in December,” Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said of third base options following the Tucker trade.
“There’s opportunity for our guys in the Minor Leagues,” Hawkins added. “If there’s players on the free-agent market that match up with us, that’s something we’ll tackle here in the coming weeks… And certainly, I think if I’m a guy in Double-A or Triple-A last year that plays third base, I’m looking at Wrigley Field right now and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a path.’”
Could Matt Shaw Be The Answer?
Chief among those “with a path” is the Cubs’ top prospect, Matt Shaw.
The 23-year-old Shaw earned his way to the top of the Cubs’ prospect list (and no. 22 in all of baseball, per the MLB.com ranking of baseball’s Top 100 prospects) by crushing the ball everywhere he’s been. He’s excelled on offense at every level of Chicago’s minor league system and throughout college, batting a collective .322 at all levels. He also made the All-World team as a member of Team USA after a monstrous performance in the Premier 12 Tournament.
By all accounts, he’ll get first dibs at the starting third baseman job. A questionable, but improving, defense may be the only thing that keeps him from a starting slot at third this coming season.
If Shaw falls flat, the Cubs have the no. 55 prospect on MLB.com’s list, James Triantos, in the minors. The 21-year-old has struggled defensively at third base, but appears to have a major league-ready bat and some real offensive talent.
It’s also quite possible that the team could acquire a steady, everyday-ready third baseman to stand as a backup to Shaw and Triantos.
So, it would certainly appear that the Cubs have viable options at third base after Paredes. The organization appears to be “all in” when it comes to giving youth a shot at the position.
Time will tell how that decision pans out.
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