Chicago Cubs: Young star named 2026 team X-Factor

When the Chicago Cubs announced that they had signed free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million deal, everyone was elated. Who wouldn’t want a three-time All-Star on the team, renowned for his winning attitude and leadership abilities?

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For Matt Shaw, though, Bregman coming to Chicago meant utter uncertainty.

Shaw, the Cubs’ starting third baseman last season, thought he had done enough in his rookie year to have earned the starting gig in 2026 as well. On most teams not bringing Bregman aboard, that may have been the case.

“So, of course, I immediately have questions like, Am I going to go here? Am I going to go there?,” Shaw told media back in January. “They’ve been transparent with me, just kind of helping me to understand the role of moving to different positions, giving guys an off-day here and there. I’m pretty excited about it.”

An X-Factor off the bench

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So, now, the 24-year-old sophomore has been pushed into a super utility role. As the top asset on the Cubs’ bench, he’ll play backup roles at third base, second base, and in the outfield. His ability to fill multiple roles will ensure that he gets a good amount of playing time. And, of course, if injury hits, he’ll slide back into the starting lineup on an every day basis.

Maddy Dickens of Sports Illustrated expects Shaw to have such a prominent role off the Cubs bench that she’s named him one of the Cubs’ X-Factors for the coming season:

“…His bat got increasingly better in the second half of 2025, going from an average of below .200 to .258.

His batting average wasn’t the only part of his slash line that got better. His on-base percentage went from .276 to .317, but most impressively, his slugging percentage catapulted from .280 to .522.”

Value in versatility

Defensively, Shaw was surprisingly adept at third base last season and was actually named a finalist for the Gold Glove at his position. Chicago is expecting him to apply that same defensive diligence to multiple positions now.

“He’s not someone that you need to worry about being professional or motivated or driven or working on his game,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner told reporters. “He’s a very driven young player. You look at how many great players at some point earlier in their career were bouncing around between positions, it’s just the reality of being a part of a really strong roster.

“I think this time of year we always try to project the perfect rotation and lineup and things like that, but we all know that’s not the reality of 162, and he’s going to be a very valuable part of our team this year.”

A happy, productive Shaw would most definitely be a major plus for a team aiming to make a deep postseason run. It would allow Chicago to rest some of its starters over the course of the season to stay relatively fresh come playoff time– a luxury they didn’t have last season with a bench that faltered.

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