Chicago Cubs: Could Matt Shaw injury ruin trade deadline plans?

The Chicago Cubs are now just a little over two weeks away from what could be a make-or-break trade deadline.

Come August 3, everyone will know whether Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer did enough to fill the gaping holes in a besieged pitching staff to facilitate a strong postseason run. And make no mistake about it—with a rotation and bullpen full of question marks—this deadline will be all about pitching.

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“We’re not ruling out any kind of position-player transaction,” Hoyer told reporters on Friday, “but the expectation is we will focus on our pitching staff…Obviously, the challenge for us has simply been pitching and pitching injuries.”

The tough part is that the Cubs’ farm system is not exactly overflowing with enticing high-end prospects. And the Cubs would like to keep some—if not all—of their younger prospects to populate a system that has become depleted over the last couple of years.

Matt Shaw’s value

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There are still tradeable assets, though, and maybe the biggest one is currently working at the major league level, blocked from a starting spot on the big league team—Matt Shaw.

The 24-year-old Shaw was the Cubs’ 2023 first round draft pick and had seemingly won the team’s third base spot last season. Then, Chicago signed Alex Bregman. Later, they extended second baseman Nico Hoerner, squeezing Shaw from his next most likely starting position.

On a lot of teams, Shaw would be starting already. He’s considered by many a plug-and-play guy who could contribute at the major league level for just about any team immediately upon being acquired.

As such, he’s Chicago’s most valuable bit of trade bait. However, he’s also currently injured and facing, by all accounts, an uncertain road to recovery.

Officially placed on the 10-day IL with a left hand sprain on June 29, there seems to be some hangup with his rehab.

Recovery setback?

Elise Menaker of Marquee Sports Network, in a social media update on the team’s injuries, described the situation like this:

“Still symptomatic, it was possible the pain would linger and it has.”

Menaker then quotes Cubs manager Craig Counsell: “He’s tried some things in the cage, it’s getting better, but it’s still there… We have to wait for it to be gone, so that’s definitely going to be longer. We’re not swinging a bat at this point.”

So, will Shaw’s injury affect his value come trade deadline?

It might if there’s even a hint that what appeared to be a simple problem could be something significantly more complicated. This is, after all, his second stint on the IL. And on both occasions, the injuries seemed to be deceptively simple (back strain, hand sprain).

Many feel that if the Cubs are going to land a high-end starting pitcher, with years of team control beyond 2026, Shaw might have to be part of the deal. Shaw’s youth, positional versatility and the fact that he has proven himself at the major league level, at least to some degree, makes him valuable enough to give up a quality pitcher.

The question now, though, is whether Shaw can come back and put health issues behind him decisively enough to be the trade chip the Cubs could want him to be.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-matt-shaw-injury-update-trade-deadline/