“We’re human. He made a mistake,” reliever Pedro Strop said at the Cubs Convention last month. “If he does the right thing, if he does whatever he needs to do, he’s going to be welcome to come back.”
Said outfielder Albert Almora Jr.: “We call Russell family, he’s a brother. From what we heard and communicating with Addison, the way he’s dealing with things, if he continues to do that, we’ll welcome him back with open arms. Let’s let him gain our trust again.”
But his teammates’ support doesn’t take away from the distraction they might face when Russell reports for spring training in Mesa, Arizona.
“They hold us accountable,” Heyward said of the front office. “And to me, attitude reflects leadership.
“With Addy’s situation right now, they don’t want to pass it on to someone else. They don’t want to be like, ‘OK, we took him for the good, and then for the bad we left him hanging.’ And I feel like they want to be a part of the solution in general, regardless of whether it’s baseball involved or off the field. And I feel like to me, that’s something that takes a lot of pressure off of the player. I don’t have to worry about it or focus on it.”
Almora also isn’t worried about Russell being a distraction.
I still think he's going to be some sort of distraction to the team. Whether that means declining attendance, booing or whatever. The Cubs are working hard at justifying their decision, and Russell may be working hard to make it right, but in the end, people (ownership, management, players and fans) just don't forget.