Kris Bryant Not Mad at the Cubs Despite Losing Labor Grievance
By Alex Coffman
News came in early Wednesday morning that Kris Bryant lost his grievance against the Chicago Cubs. Bryant was seeking an extra year of service time but will now be under the team's control through the 2021 season.
On the bright side, it doesn't seem like Bryant took the arbitration personally as a source told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times there was "no ill will whatsoever" on Bryant's end.
Kris Bryant Has "No Ill Will" Towards Cubs After Grievance Loss https://t.co/cKTULDs5uz pic.twitter.com/yZdDhwJbhU
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) January 29, 2020
The third baseman will now enter the market at age 30 rather than 29. It might not seem like a lot, but that extra year lowers a player's value quite a bit, especially when teams are considering long term deals for him.
On the other side, the Cubs have increased their trade value for Bryant, who are said to be considering offers for the player. The Cubs might be able to cash in on some younger prospects and retool their famished farm system, should they choose.
Most to least likely to be traded per Rosenthal:
— Tom Smith (@tom_smith717) January 29, 2020
1. Betts
2. Bryant
3. Arenado
4. Lindor
The Cubs will need to upgrade quite a bit come next season as they were five games out of the Wild Card race in 2019 and play in an ever-improving NL Central.