When the Cubs sent Matt Shaw down to Triple A in the middle of April, the hope was that it wouldn’t be a long stint with Iowa. The Cubs knew it would be hard to address their hole at third base in any other way than internally.

The Cubs' top-ranked prospect has hit well in the minors after struggling in a season-opening stint as the big league team's third baseman.

The front office opted to trade away Cody Bellinger and bring in Kyle Tucker in a move that has paid strong dividends so far this season. It also made some significant changes to the starting rotation and bullpen, and seems to have answers in center field thanks to Pete Crow-Armstrong and at catcher thanks to Carson Kelly.