The Chicago Cubs losing out on Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox indicates that prospect Matt Shaw will be the Opening Day third baseman in Japan. Shaw was the Cubs’ first round draft choice out of Maryland in 2023 and has quickly soared through the farm system largely in part of how well he swings the bat.
Craig Counsell made it known when speaking to the media that Shaw would get the first crack at the hot corner in 2025 and that will ring true with Bregman off the board. However, the rookie will certainly need some help in navigating his first season as an everyday guy in the show.
Jon Berti is a perfect bench option for the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs signed Berti to a one-year contract at the end of January to be a veteran utility presence off the bench in 2025. With Chicago potentially set to be without Nico Hoerner for a brief period of time to begin the season, Berti will be huge to have both at second and third base.
Berti spent last season with the New York Yankees, where he played in just 25 big league games. The veteran hit .273 in 66 at-bats and drove in six runs to along with his five stolen bases. Berti was with Miami for the previous five years where he played in 432 games as a Marlin.
Despite being 35-years-old, speed is a major part of Berti’s game along with his versatility. He swiped 41 bags in the 2022 campaign and then his bat made plenty of noise in 2023. Berti logged 133 games that season, the most in a single year in his career. He slashed .294/.344/.405, all the best single season marks that earned him a deal in New York.
The Chicago Cubs are hoping that Berti can bounce back to form in 2025 while serving a pivot role as a rotational infielder. Shaw can learn a thing or two from a guy like Berti who has been around the game for quite some time.
The Chicago Cubs will need Vidal Brujan to step up
Brujan was acquired from the Marlins in exchange for Matt Mervis at the end of December. He is a former top prospect of the Tampa Bay Rays and didn’t pan out the way that they were hoping he would. The 2024 season was the lone year that Brujan spent with the Marlins and he played in over 100 games.
Brujan slashed .202/.303/.319 in 248 at-bats in his first real season at the big league level. Nothing that the 27-year-old did last year was eye-popping, but him having over 100 games in a season under his belt is worth noting.
Just like Berti, Brujan’s utilityman title has kept him around the game and gives him a shot at making the Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster. He isn’t as consistent as Berti which hurts his case entering 2025, but Brujan’s ceiling is much higher. He would serve as a switch hitting option off the bench and as a big league caliber infielder to take even more weight off Shaw’s shoulders.
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