The resurgence of the shortstop position and a Chicago Cubs World Series championship captured by an historically young group made Addison Russell’s latest disappointing season stand out all the more. In fact, that unlikely trifecta made the idea of trading him more of a reality than the pulp fiction it was just a year ago. Although ways to improve the Cubs’ chances should be explored — yes, even trading Russell — I encourage you to be mindful of the (almost) 24-year-old’s value and trajectory.
Since 1945, only 18 shortstops under the age of 24 have accumulated more WAR than Russell (8.