Call to the pen
Fansided

Chicago Cubs: The Addison Russell suspension could lead to offseason decisions

By Benjamin Chase

MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 05: Addison Russell #27 of the Chicago Cubs anticipates a pitch during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on September 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 05: Addison Russell #27 of the Chicago Cubs anticipates a pitch during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on September 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Chicago Cubs
CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 02: Javvier Baez #9 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting a RBI double in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies to score Terrrance Gore #1 (not pictured) during the National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field on October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs options: Hold the fort

In 2018, the Chicago Cubs missed out on over 30 games of Addison Russell due to injury and time away from the team due to the initial allegations in the incident that eventually got him suspended.

While every one of Russell’s games was focused at shortstop, the team really never missed a beat when he was out as they have one of the best defensively-versatile players in the game in Javier Baez. “Javy” was a huge piece of the Cubs, covering shortstop for over 60 games.

Baez is no slouch in the field, either, highly regarded as one of the best defenders in the entire league on either side of the keystone, so the Cubs really don’t miss out there when they move Baez to shortstop. From there, it’s a matter of who takes over at second base.

For much of 2018, that was veteran Ben Zobrist, and he will return in 2019. Long-time Cub bench player and pinch hitter Tommy La Stella also can step in at second base without an issue. The team brought in Daniel Murphy via trade at the end of the season as well to cover second base.

For the 40 games that Russell is out, the Chicago Cubs could simply handle things as they did at the end of the season and use their internal options to cover second base while moving Javy Baez over to short, and there really would not be a major notable drop.

Now, the team could choose to ensure they have enough depth to cover those 40 games, getting someone cheap on the market. What would that look like?

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