All eyes were on the Chicago Cubs and infielder Addison Russell ahead of Friday’s non-tender deadline. Of course, as we know now, the organization opted to keep Russell in the fold – at least for now – tendering him a contract for the upcoming 2019 season.
But while the Cubs moved forward with their shortstop, several other organizations decided it was time to go in different directions with mainstays in their respective lineups. None of the names who will now hit the market are complete game-changers, but the middle-tier of the free agent class is undoubtedly deeper than it was this time Friday morning.