Offseason rumors/discussion thread

[fatbeard]

I disagree that he'll be back. I think he's gone and I think everyone knows it around baseball. The reason why Theo won't release him now is that he still could add value to a trade. There is no guarantee they'll be able to move him but Theo will try. If he can't do it he'll be non tendered by the 12/1 deadline. I excpet this to be the most active offseason since the window opened.

No one has any idea what the Cubs are going to do with Russell. They themselves may not have even come to a decision yet. Posting that "he's definitely gone" or "he's definitely staying" is just baseless and silly. If everyone around baseball "knows it," why aren't front offices talking about it internally and why aren't beat or national reporters picking up on that?

There is no "there" there.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

No one has any idea what the Cubs are going to do with Russell. They themselves may not have even come to a decision yet. Posting that "he's definitely gone" or "he's definitely staying" is just baseless and silly. If everyone around baseball "knows it," why aren't front offices talking about it internally and why aren't beat or national reporters picking up on that?

There is no "there" there.

Maybe I stated it too strongly. I absolutely believe the right move is to cut ties with him and I believe the FO will come to that decision. It looks very obvious to me, but you are 100% correct none of us "know" anything. We'll all find out before December 1.

 

[anotheridiot]

No one has any idea what the Cubs are going to do with Russell. They themselves may not have even come to a decision yet. Posting that "he's definitely gone" or "he's definitely staying" is just baseless and silly. If everyone around baseball "knows it," why aren't front offices talking about it internally and why aren't beat or national reporters picking up on that?

There is no "there" there.

yes, but the beat writers are going to keep reminding Theo that its pretty clear that Addison did not come clean with them back in June so he should not be trusted.

 

[CSF77]

Agree .

There will be teams that would take Russell potential, control, and low salary .

He would have to learn Japanese though. He may have better luck with his relationship issues over there.

 

[chibears55]

He would have to learn Japanese though. He may have better luck with his relationship issues over there.

Guarantee you he'll get traded

 

[CSF77]

Guarantee you he'll get traded

It makes too much sense honestly. No one wants a wife beater as a smiling face on the wall at spring training grinning at your kids...

 

[fatbeard]

yes, but the beat writers are going to keep reminding Theo that its pretty clear that Addison did not come clean with them back in June so he should not be trusted.

Absurd. Epstein knows better than anyone else what Russell told him, and he doesn't need beat writers to remind him of that. He is also a smart, circumspect guy who realizes he's dealing with a then-23 year-old baseball player who, like 99% of the general population, will initially lie when confronted with personally embarrassing or potentially criminal conduct.

 

[chibears55]

It makes too much sense honestly. No one wants a wife beater as a smiling face on the wall at spring training grinning at your kids...

You know there always teams that overlooks that stuff and are willing to take a chance..

he a 24 yo pretty good defensive SS who cheap

 

[CSF77]

You know there always teams that overlooks that stuff and are willing to take a chance..

he a 24 yo pretty good defensive SS who cheap

You know you are right. There is a great opertunity in having a Addi Russell signed wife beater day for the first 1000 women and children.

 

[Parade_Rain]

You know you are right. There is a great opertunity in having a Addi Russell signed wife beater day for the first 1000 women and children.

Going to Japan for a year or two makes some sense. Pick a team that has a pitcher or a position player the Cubs may be interested and see if there's a fit for a trade?

 

[CSF77]

Going to Japan for a year or two makes some sense. Pick a team that has a pitcher or a position player the Cubs may be interested and see if there's a fit for a trade?

Was kinda being sarcastic but:

The traditional role of women in Japan has been defined as "three submissions": young women submit to their fathers; married women submit to their husbands, and elderly women submit to their sons.


With reason. Kid needs to learn to respect women.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Was kinda being sarcastic but:

The traditional role of women in Japan has been defined as "three submissions": young women submit to their fathers; married women submit to their husbands, and elderly women submit to their sons.


With reason. Kid needs to learn to respect women.

Of course it's a stretch, but he would be able to go away and hopefully mature and come back when people will have put the wife beater stuff out of their heads. He improves his reputation, clears his head and improves his hitting, etc. I don't know. I just threw that idea out there how everyone could maybe win and the wife could still collect some checks for the kid.

 

[CSF77]

Of course it's a stretch, but he would be able to go away and hopefully mature and come back when people will have put the wife beater stuff out of their heads. He improves his reputation, clears his head and improves his hitting, etc. I don't know. I just threw that idea out there how everyone could maybe win and the wife could still collect some checks for the kid.

I’m not sure if improving his hitting is well placed....

 

[Parade_Rain]

I’m not sure if improving his hitting is well placed....

You're in rare form today. How about decreasing the number of times he gets punched out at the plate?

 

[chibears55]

Chatwood for Gray

 

[Omeletpants]

Machado a Yankee?

https://nypost.com/2018/10/12/heres-the-plan-for-yankees-to-test-the-manny-machado-waters/

 

[CSF77]

You're in rare form today. How about decreasing the number of times he gets punched out at the plate?

Reminds me of the “McEnroe needs to work on his backhand” jokes.

 

[beckdawg]

Maybe I stated it too strongly. I absolutely believe the right move is to cut ties with him and I believe the FO will come to that decision. It looks very obvious to me, but you are 100% correct none of us "know" anything. We'll all find out before December 1.

Here's my issue with this.... Ok I think your logic is some what believable in that maybe they just want to try to trade him. But what fails for me is when people say they will get rid of him in some fashion because of the PR. The PR isn't going to be any worse Dec 1 than it was earlier. If anything it makes it less because the story will have a month or two to breathe. Every day he's still with the team is less pressure that's going to be put on them as the story moves out of front page news.

The other issue is I really don't think they will get anything for him in trade. IMO you have to get something back that helps the team in 2019 or what's the point? You're making your team worse. You can argue it's an issue of morality over winning but we literally have the example of Chapman that proves they care more about winning than morality.

As I've said before, I truly believe that if they are going to trade him you just let him take the suspension, keep his head low and maybe by july you have a piece that no longer is under suspension to start a year and you can use him to upgrade your team with something more useful. We both know he's going to be worth more in July than he will be in december unless more bad news comes out.

 

[beckdawg]

MLB trade rumors write up on the cubs offered this tidbit I found sorta interesting... this is talking about Chatwood btw.

Russell Martin could make for an excellent bad contract swap from the Cubs’ side, though not so much from Toronto’s.

Martin has 1 year $20 mil left. Chatwood has 2 years $25.5 mil left. Martin was 15th in bp's pitch framing stats. Toronto has Danny Jansen who's a pretty good prospect, Luke Maile who played pretty well and Reese McGuire who's also a pretty good hitting C. Plus they aren't exactly competitive.

I think this trade actually would make a fair bit of sense for the cubs though I would question how you make the money work. It would be adding about $8 mil to the cubs 2019 luxury tax. I think you might be able to do something where the jays give the cubs $8 mil this year and the cubs give it back next year to offset that but I'm not 100% if that is possible.

My guess is Toronto would probably want something slightly more but I don't think it would take too much more than that.

 

[chibears55]

As I've said before, I truly believe that if they are going to trade him you just let him take the suspension, keep his head low and maybe by july you have a piece that no longer is under suspension to start a year and you can use him to upgrade your team with something more useful. We both know he's going to be worth more in July than he will be in december unless more bad news comes out.

I can see that happening too...
I think it just a matter of whether or not they just want to move on from him ASAP or wait it out and try and use him as a trade chip during season ...

Not sure if the suspension includes not being able to be with team during ST but either way have to think he will be sent to Minors for a couple weeks after the suspension up, so he probably won't be ready til mid to late May.

I just dont think he will play another inning for the cubs, and will either be moved in offseason or as you suggest at some point during or after his suspension