Chicago Cubs should consider dangling Addison Russell this offseason

Another season of Chicago Cubs baseball is in the books. Time to start focusing on the offseason and ways to strengthen the team for 2018.

We all died after the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series (people forget that) and now we’re in baseball purgatory. After waiting 108 years for that seemingly inconceivable moment to arrive, we’re now doomed to suffer an eternity of winless Cubs baseball, as punishment for our incessant gloating in the face of victory.

Not really, though. A century of perennial losing is rough. Cubs fans deserved every finger-pointing “haha, losers!” they could squeeze in. Alas, the party is now over and it’s time to get serious. The Cubs stumbled upon a hard truth as they were thrust out of the postseason. That truth: the bullpen is rather weak. That might be an understatement, actually.

The rotation isn’t in the best place, either. Jake Arrieta‘s contract is up and it doesn’t seem likely he’ll re-sign. John Lackey is also not likely to return. I suspect most fans will find some degree of jubilation in that reality, but it’s still another spot to fill. Jon Lester is coming off a down year and will turn 34 before the start of the 2018 season. So there are some undeniable hurdles to clear if the Cubs want to return to the top.

With all that in mind, let’s get down to brass tacks. Here’s why the Cubs should trade Addison Russell.