The Chicago Cubs are entering this offseason with one of the trickiest decisions as of yet: 24-year-old Matt Shaw. After holding down third base as a rookie in 2025, Shaw’s future with the Cubs suddenly looks a lot less secure thanks to one powerful bat in the market—Eugenio Suarez.

Now, Shaw’s season wasn’t perfect. A .226 average and .689 OPS doesn’t scream a franchise cornerstone, but his second half was a different tale in itself. His .839 OPS after the All-Star break does give a snapshot of what he could be. But can the Cubs wait for a resurgence? Now, that’s the big question.

If you listen to rumors, maybe not.

MLB insider Francys Romero reported on Sunday: “The Cubs continue to explore the third-base market in free agency, and Eugenio Suárez is one of the names to watch in the coming days.” And just like that, Shaw’s seat has gotten a lot hotter.

Suarez remains one of the league’s most potent power threats—and he has smashed 36 homers for the Arizona Diamondbacks and added 13 more after the deadline trade to the Mariners. Sure, the strikeouts simply skyrocketed in Seattle by over 35%, but then the power never left him. Chicago needs homers, and Suarez can get them that.

The problem is that he plays third base, and third base is supposed to be Shaw’s. If the Cubs sign Eugenio Suarez, the $66 million free agent, then Shaw instantly becomes the odd man out. They tried him at second base, but that seat is Nico Hoerner’s.

The question is what comes of Shaw? Does he become a utility guy or a trade chip? On paper, Suarez fits what the Cubs need; he is an affordable pop and way cheaper than Bregman, so the Cubs will be interested. For now, it seems like Shaw’s future with the Cubs might be at risk.

Cubs’ ace hunt takes a twist as Zac Gallen rumors spiral

The Chicago Cubs have made one thing clear this offseason—they want a frontline starter. They were even in the running for Dylan Cease until his bidding crossed the $200 million mark. Jed Hoyer and Co. apparently tapped out, deciding that $210 million over seven years was a little too steep for them.

Still, that doesn’t mean the Cubs would scoot over their initial plan. The next wave of arms—Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai, Michael King, and Zac Gallen—are expected to all have smaller and shorter deals. And the Chicago Cubs have been linked interestingly to all of them.

And things got really interesting on December 6.

Early in the morning, social media lit up with posts claiming that the Cubs had already agreed to terms with Zac Gallen. FOX Sports and some others had made it seem like the deal was done. Cubs fans already went into celebration mode.

He tweeted, “UPDATE: The Chicago Cubs are HOPEFUL of finalizing an agreement with free-agent starter Zac Gallen on a multi-year deal, but the deal is NOT DONE with others still in contention.”

Then Jeff Passan also posted, “Zac Gallen does not have a deal and is not close to finalizing one.”

So, Gallen’s posts with the Cubs simply vanished into thin air. Now, pretty much everyone is in a wait-and-watch mode. If the Cubs are even talking to Gallen, nothing is close enough to lock in.