*Photo from CBS Sports*
Former Chicago Cubs IF Addison Russell has signed a one year deal with the Kiwoom Heros of the Korea Baseball Organization(KBO), according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Russell has been unable to find a contract that he is willing to sign since hitting free agency this winter, so it seems he has decided to take his talents to Korea. Russell's deal will pay him around $530,000.
Russell was an all star and a core piece of the 2016 Cubs, who won their first world series since 1908, breaking the longest drought in baseball. Ironically, the team they beat, the Cleveland Indians, now possess the longest title drought. Russell has experienced off-field issues since then, being placed on administrative leave and suspended 40 games for abusing his then-wife. Heroes GM Chi-hyun Kim said that "Obviously, what he did was wrong, but we felt it wasn't bad enough that he should no longer play baseball."
After returning from his suspension and a brief Triple A assignment, Russell hit .237 with 9 homers and 23 RBI with two stolen bases in 82 games for the Cubs in 2019. His best season was in 2016, when Russell hit .238 with 21 homers and 95 RBI with 5 steals in 151 games played. Since then, he has been unable to replicate that success, leading to the Cubs non-tendering him in the offseason.
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