In a twist that – like so many other things this year – would’ve been seen as absolutely impossible back in February, former Cubs infielder Addison Russell is going to be playing pro baseball this year before any of his former teammates. That, despite the fact that he went the entire offseason without being able to find a job after the Cubs non-tendered him in November.
It’s because he’s found a gig in the KBO, where they have actually managed to play baseball this year:
Former Cubs SS Addison Russell is finalizing a one-year contract with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Russell, who was non-tendered by Chicago last year after serving a 40-game domestic-violence suspension, should soon be in South Korea.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 20, 2020
Former #Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, who couldn’t find a job in #MLB, gets a landing spot in South Korea for $530,000 https://t.co/jVJiXnfdgJ
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 20, 2020
Russell, 26, was suspended under the league’s domestic violence policy in late 2018, and the Cubs elected to keep him into the 2019 season, saying in part that they felt an obligation to be part of the process of dealing with domestic violence issues. Russell’s downward trajectory of performance since his first two seasons continued, however, and combined with repeated lapses in the field (which at one point led to a demotion to Iowa), the entire year was sufficiently disastrous to lead to his non-tender and no job to be found in MLB.
So now Russell will get to play pro baseball in South Korea, make some money, and attempt to rehab his career for a shot to return to MLB in the future.