'Surprised' by 3B rumors, Hoyer says Cubs have full confidence in Shaw

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Cubs were given the green light by ownership to pursue Alex Bregman in free agency last offseason, but up to a certain point. The Red Sox ultimately came out on top in the bidding and Chicago handed the keys to third base to then-rookie Matt Shaw.

While the majority of the Cubs’ focus this offseason is on the pitching front -- they are on the hunt for an impact starter and are hardly done remaking the bullpen -- the ballclub has once again been linked to Bregman in a variety of reports and rumors. The Cubs have also been loosely connected to fellow free-agent Eugenio Suárez.

On Monday evening at the Winter Meetings, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer tossed some cold water on the rumored pursuit of a new third baseman.

“Honestly, I’ve been surprised by the number of media reports that kind of link us to different guys,” Hoyer said. “There’s zero lack of confidence in Matt. Actually, I would say the opposite.”

Hoyer did not mention any specific free agents, but Bregman will undoubtedly be the name that springs to mind for Cubs fans given the team’s effort to sign him prior to last season. Sources told MLB.com at the time that Chicago offered a four-year deal worth $115 million that included opt-outs after the ‘26 and ‘27 seasons.

Bregman -- a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and Gold Glove winner -- signed a three-year, $120 million contract with Boston in February. After one season with the Red Sox, the 31-year-old third baseman opted out of that pact and hit the open market again this winter.

The landscape has since changed at third base for the North Siders.

“I’m not going to comment on any free agents,” Hoyer reiterated. “But I think at the time, we didn’t have any information on Shaw in the Major Leagues. Now, we do. By definition, it’s different.”

Now, this does not completely rule out having the Cubs look at options for third base as the offseason progresses. There is an argument to be made for having Shaw serve as a super-sub for multiple positions, giving manager Craig Counsell more chances to build in days off for the veterans around the infield.

Adding someone like Bregman -- especially if he lingers on the market and it begins to look more opportunistic as a signing -- could certainly boost an offense that is currently poised to lose star outfielder Kyle Tucker in free agency. That said, there is also a chance that the 24-year-old Shaw can take a big step forward in ‘26.

“You look at his overall second-half numbers and kind of what he did in the Minor Leagues,” Hoyer said. “I just think those struggles [in the Majors] are to be expected at the beginning. The outliers are the ones that don’t have that. And I thought what he did on defense last year was amazing."

Overall, Shaw hit .226 with 13 homers, 21 doubles, 44 RBIs, 17 steals and a .690 OPS in 126 games as a rookie for the Cubs, but that does not tell the full story. He posted a .280 slugging percentage, 556 OPS and a 60 wRC+ in 63 games in the first half, followed by a .522 SLG, .839 OPS and 130 wRC+ in 63 games in the second half.

Shaw was demoted to Triple-A Iowa in late April and returned to hit .359 with a .906 OPS in his first 11 games back in May. He launched 11 of his 13 homers after the All-Star break and continued to look better defensively as the season wore on. In the end, Shaw put up 12 Defensive Runs Saved and was a National League finalist for a Gold Glove Award.

“It was a lot of huge positives,” Hoyer said. “If you would’ve sort of told me at the beginning of the year this was going to be the totality of his season, I would’ve been like, ‘Yeah, good. I think we’re in a good place.’”

Hoyer believes the next step for Shaw -- like plenty of younger, developing players-- will be minimizing the length of inevitable offensive slumps.

“It’s gaining consistency,” Hoyer said. “His downs were pretty down, you know? [It’s] learning how to kind of smooth that out a little bit. It doesn’t mean the second year can’t be a huge year, but I just expect that, sort of, guys learn the league, learn what pitchers are doing to them, they learn their own swing, and it’s kind of expected, this kind of more gradual improvement.”