The Kiwoom Heroes signed SS/2B-R Addison Russell to a 1-year, $530,000 contract
This isn’t a typical Transaction Analysis. The reality is that even if Russell makes the Heroes better in some way I don’t care. The Heroes made the decision to sign someone who can’t find work in Major League Baseball mainly because he’s an abuser. Sure, Russell has never lived up to his talent, but someone with his pedigree would easily find work if not for the fact that he is a reprehensible human being.
The Heroes took a look at who Russell is, the acts he has committed, and the numerous accusations from various sources levied against him and said, “we want that on our team.” It’s the baseball world at large, not just MLB, screaming from the rooftops that they don’t give two shits about women or domestic violence victims. There are no baseball reasons good enough to sign a person who has done the things that Russell has done.
The saddest part of this whole story is that the Korea Baseball Organization cares far more about gambling than they do about domestic abuse. If Russell gets caught gambling he could, at the worst, find himself banned from the league. However, if he beats up another woman, maybe goes and gets caught driving drunk, or any other far more serious victim fueled events he will maybe get suspended for a but, or maybe not depending on how things go. Gambling though, that’s far more important than women or the victims of domestic abuse.
I’m a Chicago Cubs fan and I have wanted Addison Russell off of the team for the past couple of seasons. That doesn’t mean I wanted him on another team or even in another league. I wanted him out of baseball, and now the Heroes have made it where he still gets paid handsomely to play a game he shouldn’t have the privilege of playing. Will Russell make the Heroes a better team? I don’t give a shit, and neither should you.
Lead photo courtesy of Denis Poroy – Getty Images
