3 reasons Chicago Cubs should not trade for Manny Machado

The loss on defense isn’t worth it

Addison Russell is too good of a defensive piece to lose. There are two things the Cubs cannot afford to lose right now, and that’s pitching and defensive stars. I don’t care if Machado is leading the American League in runs batted in. I don’t care if he is second in the AL with a .342 batting average. I also don’t care if he’s tied for second in the league with 14 home runs.

OK, I shouldn’t say “I don’t care.” Do I care, just a little? Sure, the fantasy of having a guy like that on your team should excite any ball club. But, like in any great sport, offense doesn’t always win championships. Machado might be able to hit, but he’s not nearly as well-rounded as he should be.

According to Fangraphs, Machado is the 13th-ranked defensive shortstop in the American League, and the 26th-ranked in all of baseball.

Russell? He’s fourth in all of baseball and first in the National League.

Give me a youthful, defensive stud who boasts experience and chemistry with the club already. That’s not to say I don’t like Machado, but I don’t want it coming down to losing arguably the best defensive infielder on the team.

Here’s the deal: Russell isn’t having as bad of a season as some might think. Are his home runs down? Yes. Are his RBI numbers down? Yes. But, the fact is, he’s batting a career-best .262. I’m not worried about Russell hitting his stride and coming back into his own as a batter.

Russell has never batted over .242 in a season, nor has he been counted on as an offensive juggernaut. That’s not his game, so don’t try and make it that way. What Russell brings to the table goes beyond batting numbers.

His defense is worth holding onto, period.