The Chicago Cubs have Kris Bryant under team control through 2021, which is a good amount of time. But they would like to lock up their cornerstone third baseman for even longer. The question is whether Bryant’s side is open to such discussions. The early indications are that the answer is no.
Fan Rag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Cubs made a contract offer to Bryant, but his representatives did not counter. That appears to mean they are not interested in engaging in long-term extension talks.
This does not mean that Bryant won’t sign with the Cubs long-term, it just likely means that he is in no hurry to sacrifice some free agent years for the sake of financial security.
Some players sign long-term deals early because that locks them into big-money guaranteed contracts. They get some security in case they get injured or their play declines, while the team gets a few more years out of the player when they otherwise could leave as free agents, typically at a slightly discounted rate.
Bryant’s agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for seeking megadeals for his players. So it’s no surprise they wouldn’t be rushing to sign a long-term deal for a 25-year-old who is coming off an MVP season. It also doesn’t help that the there still might be some bitterness from Bryant’s side towards the Cubs for the way they handled him two years ago.
