The Chicago Cubs plan to tender Kris Bryant a contract but this won’t stop them from shopping him around. While Washington is interested, Cubs fans need to avoid getting their hopes up on a major haul.
For the second straight year, Kris Bryant’s name has emerged as a trade candidate. He has a year left on his contract and the Cubs are sitting at a crossroads. In 2021, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Kyle Schwarber will all be free agents. With the team already cash strapped, they will soon lose multiple key pieces from their 2016 World Series team.
Kris Bryant’s stock has taken a major hit from a year ago. After the 2019 season, when the Cubs initially started taking offers for Bryant, they were looking for at least one top prospect in return. Understandably so. Then Bryant’s 2020 season happened. In 34 games, he hit .206, with four homers, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of .644. Bryant suffered an oblique injury towards the end of the season, but he still appeared on the team’s playoff roster. In the Wild Card round against the Marlins, Bryant went 0-8 with two strikeouts.
On top of this, Bryant was paid $18.6 million in arbitration for the 2020 season and is expected to make around $20 million for 2021. Due to Covid, every owner (except for the Mets Steve Cohen who bought the team after the season ended) lost millions and will be attempting to cut costs. Bryant’s expected contract, mixed with him being a rental and coming off of a down year will keep the Cubs from receiving any top-tier prospects.
While Cubs fans have laughed at this notion, the Nationals have stood firm in their beliefs. Jon Heyman tweeted the following.
Kris Bryant is a target of the Nats, but Nats are determined to keep young pitchers Rutledge and Cavalli. As I just said on @MLBNetwork despite speculation Bryant will indeed be tendered a contract by Cubs on tender/nontender day Wednesday. Other teams that fit KB: Mets, SF, Tor
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 30, 2020
A year ago, Washington balked at sending Victor Robles to Chicago for Bryant, and this time around, they have turned down offers that involve their two top prospects Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli. Don’t expect the team to ship out Carter Kieboom or Luis Garcia either. With the worst farm system in baseball and only a projected $45 million to work with, the Nationals won’t mortgage the future for a rental who is on a bloated one year deal.
Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin of MLB Radio had this to say on the topic.
Realistically, what would a @Cubs @Nationals trade look like?
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 30, 2020
"If you did Bryant for Starlin Castro, does that line up?... It's not the same in terms of value, but is that the best you can do? It feels like it."@Mike_Ferrin | @Jim_Duquette pic.twitter.com/PGQzU3ASN5
Don’t be alarmed Cub fans. Chicago won’t trade Bryant for Starlin Castro in a straight-up swap. While this move would allow the Cubs to save close to $13 million, it just won’t happen. But if the Cubs are projected to receive this little in return for the former MVP, this is a scary situation for fans of the day.
After winning ROY and NL MVP in back to back seasons, I understand why Cubs fans cannot fathom how far Bryant’s stock has dropped. He has been a staple of consistency and was a vital part of the team winning the World Series in 2016. Through six seasons in the majors, Bryant is hitting .280, with 142 homers, and an OPS of .889. But his current salary projection and recent injury history have hampered his stock.
If a trade with the Nationals did come to fruition, it would mostly likely focus on Andry Lara, Eddy Yean, or Mason Denaburg. According to MLB Pipeline, they are the Nationals fifth, sixth, and seventh-ranked prospects. All three are promising, young right-handed pitching prospects with Denaburg being the oldest at 21. This is nowhere near what the Cubs and their fans are looking for in return, but that is the hard truth of the situation. Regardless if Bryant is traded to the Nationals or a different team, Cub fans will not be happy with the return.