You might say: \u201cBut the Cubs already have a third baseman!\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes, they do. Matt Shaw did a credible job at third base, a position that wasn\u2019t his original one. He did well enough with the glove to be a Gold Glove \u201cfinalist,\u201d and posted 3.1 bWAR, which is very good for a rookie season in which he got sent back to Triple-A for a while.<\/p>\n
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So why replace him?<\/p>\n
First, Eugenio Su\u00e1rez has absolutely torched the Cubs with his bat for his entire career. In 132 games against the Cubs, Su\u00e1rez has batted .266\/.349\/.540 with 36 home runs. That\u2019s by far his most home runs against any MLB team (Pirates are second with 27). The .886 OPS is almost 100 points higher than his career OPS of .792.<\/p>\n
So taking that bat away from a Cubs opponent isn\u2019t a bad idea. Of course, you don\u2019t sign a guy specifically for that reason. And of course, if the Cubs signed him, he\u2019s no longer facing Cubs pitching. Most of his home runs against the Cubs (20 of 36) have come in ballparks other than Wrigley Field, where he has just a .765 career OPS in 65 games.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Su\u00e1rez would provide power at a position where the Cubs haven\u2019t had that since Kris Bryant departed (with a brief nod to Patrick Wisdom for providing a bit of it). And yes, Su\u00e1rez turns 34 in 2026 and his walk rate dropped somewhat in 2025, leaving him with just a .298 OBP to go with a low .226 BA.<\/p>\n
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But \u2026 well, those 49 home runs. Su\u00e1rez has had six seasons with 30 or more home runs and two with 40 or more and that sort of power should stick around, you\u2019d think, for two or three more seasons.<\/p>\n
What of Shaw, if the Cubs signed Su\u00e1rez? Well, they could make him sort of a supersub, playing second and third base. Or they could trade him \u2014 lots of teams would want Shaw, and perhaps he could bring some quality starting pitching in return.<\/p>\n