The Chicago Cubs have explored trade possibilities for Kris Bryant this offseason, but it sounds like the star third baseman will remain with the team at least into the spring.
Bryant’s agent, Scott Boras, said this week that he believes the Cubs will keep the 28-year-old — at least for now. Boras also defended Bryant’s surprisingly bad performance during the coronavirus-shortened season.
Boras suggested they believe there’s a strong chance the Cubs hold onto Kris Bryant and defended his Covid shortened 2020 performance, pointing out he’s posted big numbers — a .900 plus OPS — whenever he’s gotten 550 at-bats.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 16, 2020
Bryant, who was named the NL MVP in 2016, hit just .206 in 34 games last season. Boras attributes that to Bryant not getting enough at-bats, but rival teams may not be so certain.
While Bryant drew some interest from an NL East team, it does not sound like there has been a strong market for him. The best approach for the Cubs might be to keep him at the start of the year and hope he gets off to a hot start.
Bryant made $18.6 million last season and will likely earn more next year, which is his last under team control.
Photo: Arturo Pardavila III/Flickr via CC-BY 2.0
