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

MLB announced a 40-game suspension for the Chicago Cubs shortstop on Wednesday. Could that change the plans for him going forward with the organization?

The conclusion of Major League Baseball’s investigation into the domestic violence allegations against Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell resulted in the shortstop receiving a 40-game suspension. Russell has accepted the suspension, and it will commence upon Opening Day 2019.

So what will the Chicago Cubs do with their young shortstop?

Russell is arbitration-eligible after this season, and it is unlikely he would get a huge raise from his $3.2 million salary in 2018 based on his .250/.317/.340 slash line in 2018 when he was on the field. However, he is still just going to be 25 entering 2019, and the Cubs need to figure out what this means for his future with the organization.

The Chicago Cubs are already dealing with the public relations mess of all of this, and this just a couple of years after many women’s groups were after the team for bringing in a player fresh off of a domestic violence suspension as their “major” trade deadline acquisition in the season they won the World Series. Needless to say, the Chicago Cubs may simply want to be rid of this issue, and therefore to be rid of Russell.

What are the options for the Chicago Cubs?

Really it boils down at the base level to two options – keep him or move him. Obviously, though, it’s more complicated than that.

The Chicago Cubs could keep Russell and bring a player in to cover the time that Russell is out. They could trade Russell to another team. Last, they could simply non-tender Russell.

We’re going to look at the team’s options if they choose to keep Russell in the next two pages, then cover the Chicago Cubs options if they do choose to move him and where they may find a trade partner. Finally, we will close with a couple of routes they could take if they do choose to jettison Russell in order to replace him.

Let’s start with options with him still in-house…

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?

Chicago Cubs options: Cover Russell’s suspension time

If the Chicago Cubs kept Russell, they could pursue a player on a one-year deal that would give them depth in the infield and help them cover the time while Russell was out. That would likely not be one of the top infield free agents, but could still be a solid piece for one season.

Depending on the market, veterans Ian Kinsler, Daniel Murphy, or Neil Walker could be the top choices. It’s doubtful that any but Walker will really have to settle for a one-year deal, but if the Cubs were willing to offer the right contract, that may not matter as, of course, money talks!

More likely options would be guys like Adeiny Hechavarria, who would offer a heavy focus on defense for the Chicago Cubs in the time Russell was out, but as he’s shown this postseason already, Hechavarria’s glove can work around the infield, allowing him to be a valuable piece off the bench.

Though the story of playing his final game for the team he broke into MLB with could be a romantic finish, Jose Reyes very well may welcome a chance to possibly win a World Series. Reyes, of course, would bring his own previous domestic violence suspension to the table, though, so he could add even further public relations issues for the Cubs.

Finally, another option the Cubs could consider is former Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar. Escobar received just a one-year deal this season with the Royals, and he certainly did nothing to show he deserves a multi-year deal this winter, hitting .231/.279/.313, though his once excellent defense has seemingly taken a step back, so his value may be such that he would take a contract knowing that he’d be a backup with Cubs as soon as Russell was back.

So if the Chicago Cubs would choose to rid themselves of Addison Russell, what would be their options?

Chicago Cubs options: Where could he go?

The first option the Chicago Cubs would have with Russell would be to simply non-tender. However, with a player with Russell’s raw talent at just 25 years old and an All-Star appearance already on his resume, there should definitely be some interest around the league. Who would be the teams that could be interested in making a deal?

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies finished this season setting a record for the worst defense in the history of the game by the defensive runs saved metric. The key reason is a lack of consistency at shortstop.

The Phillies are rumored to be heavily into the top two free agents on the market, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Machado has been open about his desire to play shortstop, but with manager Gabe Kapler‘s positioning, putting Russell alongside Machado would certainly be viable, and bringing him in would also allow the team to focus their energy primarily on Harper if that was their top aim.

Baltimore Orioles
With Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette out in Baltimore, there will need to be new folks in place in those crucial decision-making roles before roster construction can even be considered, but certainly, the Orioles are in need of a shortstop. The teams have made multiple deals in the past, and this could be a mutually agreeable move to bring in a young, talented shortstop to Baltimore while alleviating the PR issue in Chicago.

San Diego Padres
With Fernando Tatis, Jr. being injured toward the end of 2018, he’ll likely spend the majority, if not all, of 2019 in AAA. Bringing in Addison Russell would give the team a legitimate shortstop, though the Padres very well may choose to keep Freddy Galvis.

Detroit Tigers
With the free agency of Jose Iglesias, the Tigers have a couple of seasons before their best shortstop prospects would be ready at the major league level, so Russell could provide a good option for his final three years of arbitration.

So while not a comprehensive list, there would be some level of a market for Russell. Once the Chicago Cubs move him, then what would they look to do?

Chicago Cubs options: Going big

There would be no bigger move in the 2018-2019 offseason than signing Manny Machado. Machado is likely going to require a deal paying over $30 million annually for 8-10 years, an incredible investment for the Cubs. Then there’s the issue of his position.

The Cubs have Kris Bryant at third and Javy Baez (if Russell is moved) to man shortstop. If they brought in Machado, he could handle shortstop, but seemingly, he’d be a step down defensively from keeping Baez at the position, and certainly so from keeping Baez at SS, moving Bryant to the outfield, and putting Machado at third, where he’s one of the elite 3B defenders in the league.

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Regardless of position, getting a player who is just 26 on Opening Day 2019 coming off of 4 straight 30+ home run seasons and a career .282 average would be an asset for the Cubs and worth the coin needed to bring him to Wrigley.

Now that you’re plenty hyped up, the other options will seem like a significant let-down, but a player like Daniel Murphy, Brian Dozier, or DJ LeMahieu manning the keystone would give the Cubs a tremendous second base option, and with Dozier or LeMahieu, you could also have a guy like Murphy did for the Cubs that finds his way at the top of the lineup. Dozier and LeMahieu are significantly better defenders than Murphy, but Murphy has been in the clubhouse and is 3-4 years older than the other two, so he could require a shorter term in his contract, feasibly going for 2-3 years, while the other two likely are wanting 3+ for sure.

Another interesting route the Cubs could go is to sign Josh Donaldson. Bringing in Donaldson would put a definite starter at third base and allow Bryant to play the outfield while taking time at first and third base, while Zobrist could focus at second base. With his injuries in 2018, it’d require a pretty amazing postseason for Donaldson to be paid the way he would have been coming into free agency after 2016 or even 2017, so he could be a bargain price that deepens the lineup and allows Baez to stay at short.

Which route do you think the Chicago Cubs should go this offseason? Any one of the above could certainly make sense for the team, so let us know by commenting below!