Nationals: Three Players Washington Should Trade For
By Max Rayman
Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant has been involved in trade rumors over the last few years, with the Nationals constantly being tied to him. The team checked in after Anthony Rendon left but the Cubs asked for Victor Robles as a conversation starter. Obviously trade talks died down after that. The 2015 NL MVP has one year left on his contract and he made $18.6 million in arbitration for 2020. Besides Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kyle Schwarber are all set to reach free agency in 2021 for the Cubs. Now is the time for Chicago to flip one of their stars to restock a barren farm system.
Washington rolled the dice on Asdrubal Cabrera and Carter Kieboom at third for 2020. This move backfired and Washington is once again looking for help at the hot corner. While being patient with Kieboom is the smart move, Washington is in win-now mode and will be looking for an upgrade.
In six seasons with the Cubs, Bryant has hit .280, with 142 homers, 414 RBIs, and an OPS of .889. Defensively, Bryant has been decent, posting six DRS. While Bryant primarily plays third, he also has experience in the outfield, mostly left and right. The 29-year-old had a down season in 2020, hitting a career-worst .206, with four homers, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of .644. His down year mixed with him only having one year left on his contract will knock the asking price down a tad.
Bryant would immediately add protection for Juan Soto in the lineup while filling the void left at third. The downside to Bryant is his arbitration price tag would take up a major chunk of the teams remaining salary. Plus he could be a rental unless Washington could iron out an extension. Bryant is a Boras client so an extension wouldn’t come cheaply.