The moment the Chicago Cubs acquired shortstop prospect Addison Russell, a controversy about who would be the shortstop of the future in Chicago began. That controversy has mostly been put to bed as Russell has shown his superior fielding ability to Starlin Castro in his two-plus months in the league.
Now the question is when Russell will take over at shortstop. There are a number of times when the Cubs could move Russell to shortstop depending on what they do at the trade deadline.
If the team trades Castro at the deadline, Russell would move to the shortstop position right away. Logically, as long as he’s healthy by then, Javier Baez would then take over at second base on the major league roster.
Another option involves simply swapping Russell and Castro sometime after the All-Star Break. This is less likely since it may throw both players off in the middle of the season, but timing it after the All-Star Break could make sense.
The third option involves Castro and Russell both staying on the roster past this season. In that case, the easy thing to do would be to simply tell each player they’re going to swap in the offseason and give each player time to prepare at their new position.
Since his glove is so much better than Castro, Russell will surely be the shortstop of the future for the Cubs. His bat is just a bonus as he continues to grow into his own. Putting Castro at second base, a position where it is generally easier to field, might help him by taking pressure of off him.
Regardless of where the team is putting its players in the field, the future certainly looks bright.