The Cubs once again have a question mark at third

Matt Shaw's decreasing playing time isn't a shock, considering how bad he's been with the bat lately (eight hits in his last 62 at bats for a .129/.222/.177 slash, and one for his last 32 for a .037/.125/.037...yikes). But given the caliber of players who replace him when he's out of the lineup (Vidal, Berti and whatever's left of Justin Turner), it all seems like a waste of time.

You can't operate with a hole in your lineup that gaping, and so third base is back on the shopping list for Jed Hoyer at the deadline. Unless the Cubs see something fundamentally, irredeemably wrong with Shaw's offense, the replacement just needs to get you through the rest of the season. That's why my pipe dream for Eugenio Suarez is so...piping? Whatever.

But knowing the Cubs, there's always the search for a cheaper option. And the cheapest possible just flopped onto the open market.

The Yankees released former Cubs prospect (from waaaaaay back) and two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu last week. Because he's owed $22 million for the rest of this season and all of next, he's going to clear waivers and sign with somebody as a free agent, for the prorated league minimum. Somewhere, Tom Ricketts' ears just got all tingly. (Could also be a Brylcreem infection.)

The Cubs are one of the teams linked to DJ (along with the Reds, Giants and A's), with the assumption being that LeMahieu would be in the mix to play third base, a position he has played 295 times over parts of 10 of his 14 big league seasons.

The Cubs traded LeMahieu away in Theo Epstein's first "big" trade back in 2011, to the Rockies with Tyler Colvin for Casey Weathers and Ian Stewart. It was a terrible trade, as Weathers and Stewart both sucked. LeMahieu is 6'3 and it was the start of our realization that Theo was not fond of tall middle infielders. It was easy to dismiss his early career numbers as just him benefitting from playing in the hitter friendly moon base of Coors Field. He won the 2016 batting title hitting .348 with a .911 OPS. But then he left for the Yankees in 2019 and he won another batting title at sea level. Huh.

There are a few issues with this move if the Cubs make it. It would be cheap, as the Yankees are paying DJ a shitload of money to not play for them, but there's a reason for it. He's old now (36) and he's missed big chunks of the last four seasons with injuries. He's hit for a decent average this year at .266, but not much else, and has only been healthy enough to play in parts of 45 games. His on base is just .338 but that's actually higher than his slugging at .336.

Given the lack of production the Cubs have gotten out of third so far this year (.199/.274/.254 total) even that seems like a nice boost in production.

But not only has LeMahieu not played third at all this year, the reason he was released was that he told the Yankees he can't. He's got a bum hip, which has limited him to just 142 at bats, and when Jazz Chisholm injured his throwing arm and the Yankees decided to move him back to second base, they wanted to get LeMahieu into the mix at third. So he started working out there and it apparently looked bad, and I guess it felt bad, because DJ admitted he can't physically handle it.

The Yankees believed him enough to get out a knife and fork and start trying to gag down eight figures of remaining salary.

If the Cubs signed him (and they shouldn't), the best they could hope for is that he could handle some first base, as a right handed hitter, pinch hitter and occasional DH to take ABs away from the clearly washed Justin Turner.

But the Cubs seem to have no intention of getting rid of Turner, who they credit with being an important mentor to Petecrow. That's great. That's why he should be a coach, instead of a 73 OPS+ taking up a bench spot.

There is no good question that DJ LeMahieu is the answer to for the Cubs.

Yesterday, Fox Sports announced the cancellation of three shows that you never watched and only one of which you've probably even heard of.

Former Score host Danny Parkins' morning show Breakfast Ball was whacked, along with something called Speak, and, I guess a show called The Facility? Who named these things?

Given the shoddy state of the programming on The Score these days, all six people who still listen to it were clamoring for the return of Parkins.