Cubs Third Baseman Making Trade Deadline Decisions Difficult
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The Chicago Cubs have been heavily involved in the Eugenio Suarez sweepstakes.
That is no surprise, and it has been reported several times that Chicago is among the frontrunners to land the Diamondbacks' slugger.
However, the decision to pull the trigger on a Suarez trade is becoming more difficult by the day thanks to the second-half resurgence from Matt Shaw.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 21: Matt Shaw #6 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates with manager Craig Counsell #11 after hitting a three-run home run off Noah Cameron #65 of the Kansas City Royals during the...
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 21: Matt Shaw #6 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates with manager Craig Counsell #11 after hitting a three-run home run off Noah Cameron #65 of the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Wrigley Field on July 21, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. MoreShaw's career has not gotten off to the start that he or the organization had hoped it would.
The first month was bad enough that Chicago sent Shaw back to Triple-A Iowa to work on some things and make adjustments. Those adjustments showed up for about three weeks in his second major league stint of the season but then disappeared again.
Shaw entered the All-Star break with a .198 average and was just 2-for-27 at the plate in July. He had been relegated to a bench role for the final week before the break and it now looks like that may have been the perfect move.
Since play resumed on July 18, Shaw has been one of the hottest hitters across MLB. He is 9-for-19 with three home runs, six RBI and has raised his average to .221 in that span.
MATT SHAW FOR 3! pic.twitter.com/UGuJi03hQq — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 22, 2025
Shaw's three home runs in the second half of the season are already one more than he had in the first 100 games of the season.
He is turning into the player that the organization hoped he'd be when it made the decision for him to make the opening day roster and be the starting third baseman as a rookie.
His resurgence is making the decision to acquire the previously mentioned Suarez a difficult one. Sure, he has 36 home runs and leads MLB in RBI, but is it worth putting Shaw on the bench every day?
The one scenario where a Suarez trade makes sense would be to play him at first base against left-handers rather than putting 40-year-old Justin Turner over there.
Either way, Shaw is playing at an elite level over the last six games and is putting the front office in an extremely tough situation.
More MLB: Yankees Trade Idea Ships Out Jasson Domínguez for Royals All-Star
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