Jed Hoyer Says ‘Zero Lack of Confidence’ in Matt Shaw Amid Reports of 3B Pursuits

The Cubs made an offer to Alex Bregman last winter and have again been heavily connected to him this offseason, with Bruce Levine reporting that they’ve spoken with Scott Boras about bringing his client to Chicago. Levine added that the team’s international scouts have taken deep dives on Japanese corner infielders Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto, the latter of whom looks like a much better fit, if Bregman talks stall. Another report linked the Cubs to former Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who looked like a possible acquisition at July’s trade deadline.

That’s apparently news to Jed Hoyer, who predictably played it very cool when asked about his team being linked to so many players who could end up supplanting Matt Shaw at the hot corner for at least a year.

“I’ve been surprised by the number of media reports that link us to different guys,” Hoyer told Jesse Rogers. “There is zero lack of confidence in Matt. I would say the opposite.”

The general responses to that quote on X were that it must mean the Cubs are either close with Bregman or that Hoyer is baiting Boras. Rogers doesn’t share that sentiment and shared that he believes Hoyer should be taken at his word, which would mean the Cubs are not actually in on either Bregman or Suárez. A little digging in the replies reveals that he thinks it’s more likely the Cubs pair Zac Gallen with either Michael King or Tatsuya Imai, which would be a costly enough proposition to rule out a major position-player signing.

Assuming he gets the $30 million average annual value he’s seeking, Bregman alone would push the Cubs to a luxury tax payroll of roughly $226 million. That’s only $18 million below the penalty level many believe to be at least a soft cap for Hoyer’s budget, and you know he wants to leave a buffer for in-season acquisitions. If that budget assumption is accurate, signing Bregman would effectively rule out everyone else.

But if ESPN’s Kylie McDaniel’s salary projections — which are much more conservative than those at MLB Trade Rumors — are used as a guideline, there could be a path to some major additions. Signing two of Imai ($22.5M AAV) and either King or Gallen (both $19M) would leave the Cubs with only around $6 million, so that means position-player discount additions. Rob Refsnyder could end up being a tremendous value in that regard.

Or maybe Hoyer could pair both American pitchers to bolster the rotation at a cost of only $38 million annually, leaving a little more wiggle room. McDaniel projects Okamoto at a $12 million AAV, which is still too much under the budget parameters we’re using. That would mean signing only one of the pitchers above and trading for another, perhaps freeing up a little money in the process.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that Hoyer actually has a lot more to spend than pretty much anyone is willing to believe at this point. That’s really the only way Bregman makes sense, though even ponying up the high cost to add him on a long-term deal doesn’t mean the Cubs lack confidence in Shaw. Adding Bregman would displace Shaw from third for at least a year, making him more of a utilityman like Ben Zobrist next season.

After that, who knows? Nico Hoerner is in the final year of his contract and could depart in free agency, opening up second for Shaw. Maybe Bregman, who isn’t really an elite third baseman despite his Gold Glove in 2024, could cede third back to Shaw and slide to the keystone if Hoerner indeed departs. The reality is that this feels to me more like Hoyer hedging his bets against not signing Bregman, but you’re more than welcome to disagree.

It’s all speculation for now, but that’s part of the fun when it comes to the Winter Meetings and the offseason in general. I enjoy sliding pieces around on the board and looking at different possibilities, even when they’re a little far-fetched.

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