Could Cubs make Workman the regular third baseman?
MLB Pipeline just released an updated list of the Cubs' Top 30 prospects.
Matt Shaw is No. 1, while Gage Workman is No. 29.
But is it possible Workman opens the domestic season as the team's starting third baseman, while Shaw is sent back to Triple A?
It's an option that should be on the table, at the very least. Roster decisions for the trip to Japan were made easier because second baseman Nico Hoerner is not traveling. So Shaw, Workman and Vidal Brujan got on the plane and will all likely be on the active roster when the Cubs face the Dodgers on March 18 and 19 in Tokyo.
“Super excited, obviously,” Shaw told reporters in Arizona. “I've been waiting for an opportunity like this for a really long time. There's still a couple days before they'll let us know those lineups, so I still have to earn that spot.”
Circumstances could change when the Cubs play their next official game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 27. If Hoerner is ready to play, as expected, and the position players are healthy, there won't be room for all three of Shaw, Workman and Brujan on the roster.
So the logic is pretty simple. The Cubs can't send Workman or Brujan to the minors without placing them on waivers first. Workman was a Rule 5 draft pickup from Detroit, while Brujan is a veteran player without minor-league options. The Cubs got him from Miami in a trade for Matt Mervis.
The Cubs could send Shaw to the minors without consequences, let him continue to grow, and give Workman an extended tryout at third base in the majors.
“We knew coming into camp we were going to have to make some hard decisions,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters. “Some we've had to make, some we'll have to make in the future.
“I think the goal always is to keep as much depth and talent as possible. But there are limits to that and sometimes you reach those limits.”
The Cubs chose Workman in the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 11, two days before sending third base prospect Cam Smith to Houston in the Kyle Tucker trade. So management has known for a while Workman had to make the final roster out of spring training or move on, per the rules of Rule 5 draftees.
With the Tigers, Workman never reached Triple A. He essentially spent the past three seasons at Double A Erie, and took a giant step forward last year, hitting .280 with 18 home runs and 89 RBI.
He's had one of the best performances by anyone on any team in spring training this month. The former Arizona State star is hitting .424 with 3 home runs and 13 RBI.
“We're starting to put him at different positions,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He's kind of kicking (butt) on every test we give him. That's really fun to watch for a young player.”
Workman, 25, is 6-foot-4 and bats left-handed. Shaw is 5-9 and hits righty. It's possible the Cubs could platoon the two players, which is unusual at third base. It's also possible Shaw is a better fit at second base.
The Cubs are expecting to face two right-handed pitchers in Japan — the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. So which way do the Cubs go at third base?
“We'll have to answer that question in eight days,” Counsell said. “The fact that you're asking the question … says what kind of camp Gage Workman has had.”
Shaw had an RBI double in Tuesday's 9-7 loss to Milwaukee. He missed some early exhibitions with oblique soreness, and is now 5-for-16 at the plate.
After the game, the Cubs got on buses to begin the trek to Japan. They'll start the trip with two exhibition games against teams from the Japanese League.