It’s no secret that the Chicago Cubs were open and willing to trade one of their young core players this offseason, if a deal presented itself they couldn’t refuse. At the center of more than a few of the trade rumors was shortstop Addison Russell.

With Spring Training kicking off, Russell is still a member of the Cubs but the big question now is whether or not Chicago is done looking for a deal. Russell recently made it clear that he had more than a few rumors circling around him over the winter.

Addison Russell may not be done getting talked about in trades for the Chicago Cubs

According to the Sun Times, rival teams have said the Cubs made Russell available in more than one trade. It appears to some degree the club was keeping the shortstop apprised of what was going on, because he told the paper that he was mostly hoping nothing emerged, but he was preparing himself in case it does.

Now that he’s reported to Spring Training, he feels as though the chances of being traded are slim. “It’s a good thing it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m happy being in a Cubs uniform. I want to be in a Cubs uniform for sure.” Russell said.

The question is whether or not the Chicago Cubs are weighing options even as they welcome him to spring training.

It seems unlikely the team would attempt to get rid of one of its core guys now that Spring training is indeed here.

Russell’s injury issues might make him expendable

One of the reasons the Cubs might decide the starting shortstop no longer needs to be the starting shortstop is because he’s been banged up. Last year, he appeared in just 110 games.

While he was gone, Javier Baez slid back into his old role and played well enough to convince Chicago fans he could do the job full time.

At this point it becomes a guessing game as to whether or not the team wants to upset the Apple Cart and change around the core group just as they head towards the regular season. One reason it might happen is because the trade and free agent markets in general have been rather quiet compared to previous seasons.

That means there could be a scenario where teams start actually using Spring Training to evaluate their roster, and change pieces as the preseason goes on.

The Chicago Cubs have several players the could draw attention on a renewed trade market. The team has a glut of middle infielders. One of those, Ben Zobrist is likely not tradeable because of his age and contract. That means that while Addison Russel is happy he’s staying for now, he might not be a permanent fixture.
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