Wow Colton, what a hot take. You are not only handsome, but boy are you crazy.
I know everyone, its a hot take. Hot, hot, hot. Addison Russell is a 24 year old shortstop with the ability to pop 25 dingers and play Gold-Glove caliber defense. But here is the thing, the Cubs have a log jam of talent. There are players like Russell, Baez, Happ, Heyward and Almora all in the clubhouse and only 3 spots to fill. That is not even mentioning an old Ben Zobrist that can still hold his own in a spot start here or there.
Here is my bold take for the season: the Cubs will trade Russell to the Rays in a package to get Chris Archer at the deadline.
It may not make complete sense right now, but with a half season of stats under their belts, who knows where these two teams will be in July? Maybe Tyler Chatwood isn’t the pitcher that Theo thought when he signed him in the offseason. Maybe Jon Lester’s age starts to show this season? Who knows. The point that I am trying to make here is that the package surrounding Russell will be the big story. The man that I am thinking of is… Jason Heyward.
Again, it may not make sense right now. Hell, it may just be my small brain sitting on my couch thinking I can be a smart MLB executive while Theo and Jed are out building an empire. But if you toss in Addison Russell, Jason Heyward and a young solid piece like Victor Caratini, it won’t seem impossible that the Rays depart with the face of their rotation.
Russell still has 3 years of arbitration. The Cubs might have to eat a little of Heyward’s contract and take on Archer’s. But this is just dumb couch potato GM Colton here and this is the move that I can think of to get Heyward’s contract off of the books. Move Baez over to SS, Happ to 2nd, LaStella and Zobrist split time in RF.
Now, we have Archer or Quintana as a #5 starter and that would terrify opponents in the Postseason. We have arms on arms on arms and still have a respectable lineup.
Also, a little side note, Russell has been accused of domestic abuse before. I am not sure if anything came of it or if anything can be proven, but those accusations scare me. In the world today, all it takes is one piece of evidence and somebody’s career can be tarnished. The team needs to market these players and it will be impossible if these allegations are true in any way.
And of course, the reason I even began thinking of this trade….
RF will be open. Come home, Bryce.