A month ago, the Cubs were heading toward what many thought would be a super impactful trade deadline.

One of the top names fans wanted the Cubs to acquire — and a common link in media reporting — was Eugenio Suárez, the slugging third baseman who could help take this Chicago lineup to the next level.

A trade didn’t materialize, as the Arizona Diamondbacks shipped Suárez to the Seattle Mariners and the Cubs acquired utilityman Willi Castro as their only position player ahead of the deadline.

The decision not to go all-in on Suárez has proved to be huge for the Cubs, who have watched as their 23-year-old rookie Matt Shaw has enjoyed a breakout month.

It hasn’t hurt that Suárez has struggled in Seattle, as evidenced by this comparison on the Marquee Sports Network broadcast over the weekend:

Much has been made over Shaw’s offensive numbers, and for good reason.

Among all hitters with at least 100 plate appearances since the All-Star break (entering play Monday), Shaw ranks seventh in baseball with a 1.035 OPS, just behind Shohei Ohtani (1.069 OPS).

And Shaw’s .691 slugging percentage ranks fourth in MLB, behind only New York Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton and a pair of Athletics in Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers.

While the offense has been key for the Cubs, it’s been Shaw’s defense that has been a real eye-opener, especially over the last few weeks.

He already flashed a strong glove at third base throughout the early portion of the season, but he has morphed into a human highlight reel of late.

[Check out all of Shaw’s top defensive highlights from this season on the Marquee Sports Network app.]

Case in point:

And all four of these plays were just from the weekend series in Anaheim.

Entering play Monday, Shaw ranks second in MLB among all third basemen with +9 Defensive Runs Saved, behind only Ke’Bryan Hayes (+15).

The Cubs feature four players in the Top 30 on the Defensive Runs Saved leaderboard:

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong: +20
2. Nico Hoerner: +17
3. Matt Shaw: +9
4. Dansby Swanson: +7

It’s not surprising to see Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner and Swanson on that list. The latter two already have Gold Gloves on their mantel while Crow-Armstrong was always seen as an elite defender and is in the midst of his first full season in the majors.

Shaw is a bit of a surprise because he came into the season as an unknown in general — and especially at third base. He is not only experiencing his first season in the majors, but Shaw is also in his first full season as a third baseman.

He was drafted as a shortstop, with only 18 games of experience at third base in college and 66 appearances at the hot corner in the minors entering 2025.

This year, he has been primarily focused on third base and he has looked like a natural.

He admitted he is feeling more comfortable as the year has gone on, though it was an adjustment to get used to how quickly the ball can get on you at third base compared to the middle of the infield.

“It definitely took some time,” Shaw told the media after Sunday’s Cubs win. “I definitely was not really great at it right away. It’s just a different angle, so it’s just kinda tough. You’re seeing the ball at a different angle, so the reactions are very different at third than they are at the middle.

“So it’s taken a lot of time to continue to adjust. There’s still balls that I don’t get a great read on right away. It takes time.”

Strangely, Shaw sits at -3 in Outs Above Average, the Statcast metric that helps to define defensive value. It is one of the biggest discrepancies between DRS and OAA on the DRS leaderboard.

That has also affected Shaw’s overall WAR.

Baseball Reference pegs Shaw at 2.8 WAR overall, including 1.2 defensive WAR. Meanwhile, FanGraphs has Shaw at only 1.3 WAR because he has a -0.3 defense rating.

The eye test certainly leans more toward the DRS and Baseball Reference end, as Shaw has looked every bit like a stellar defender at third base this season — especially lately.

His play last week on a bunt against the Milwaukee Brewers changed the game and might be one of the Cubs’ top defensive highlights of the season:

Shaw’s Cubs teammates aren’t surprised that he has taken to third base so well this season.

“He came into the year and it’s a pressure situation being a top prospect breaking camp with a team that expects to win,” pitcher Jameson Taillon told reporters in Anaheim. “And I think he’s just become more comfortable with this group, become more comfortable as a big-league player, become more comfortable at third base, become more comfortable with his swing. I think that’s just a big theme.

“He’s a smart kid and a really hard worker. So not surprised he’s gotten good at third base. And from what I’ve heard, he was really good at second before. He’s just got that, like, defensive ability. Honestly not super surprised. Getting to know him and be around him, I would expect him to figure it out.”

If his play over the last couple of months is any indication, the Cubs made the right call to stick with the 23-year-old at third base.