Subscribe
Follow Us
See a big difference below? The Chicago Cubs, who have notoriously become one of the highest-spending teams across all of baseball, have a bit of a difference in their payroll sheet between their 2019 and 2020 seasons.
$234,759,847 – Chicago Cubs 2019 payroll ($28,759,847 over the tax threshold)
$165,846,774 – Chicago Cubs 2020 projected payroll ($42,153,226 under the tax threshold)
Top five members of the payroll based on the largest adjusted salaries in 2019:
Jon Lester ($27.5M)
Jason Heyward ($22.5M)
Yu Darvish ($20M)
Cole Hamels ($20)
Kris Bryant ($12.9M)
Top five members of the payroll based on the largest adjusted salaries in 2020:
Darvish ($22M Player Option)
Heyward ($21M)
Lester ($20M)
Craig Kimbrel ($16)
Anthony Rizzo ($14.5M Team Option)
With Darvish most certainly opting in through his player option, both Lester and Heyward dropping down a bit on the list and both Kimbrel and Rizzo entering into the list, where does the money come from for the arbitration-eligible players, specifically Bryant and Javier Baez?
For Baez, his contributions to this team playing up the middle and third base are irreplaceable, as his slick-fielding defensive skills and his solid offensive skills are close to being untouchable by any middle infielder in the National League. But for Kris Bryant, his injury woes, replaceability and just general awkward fit on this team make for an interesting conversation that the front office should minimally be entertaining.
Bryant has been forced to move around to actually earn playing time, as he has had to play some outfield to make sure that someone like David Bote has a chance to play, especially with how Bote swung the bat in 2019. Bryant’s injury history is concerning too, as he has dealt with a pesky shoulder injury in 2018 and a recent right ankle sprain that looks to be decently severe.
The market value for Bryant, which would at least begin around seven years and $150 million, is not a pill that the Cubs can financially swallow any time soon, as Theo Epstein has handcuffed this team into so many poison-pill deals that the team will be forced to look for potential suitors this offseason.
Crazier things have been suggested, but what about trading Bryant away? The Cubs have the pieces on the team and in the minor leagues to help address any sort of production loss that they would face with the loss of Bryant, and while they would have issues 100 percent filling his vacated role, they could easily make it close.
Bote would become the top candidate to slot right into the starting lineup for Bryant, and his bat would be a great addition to the daily starting lineup, hitting somewhere in the middle third. For depth, Baez can slide over, as well as Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner can all switch positions all across the diamond to fill any holes for this team.
Article Continues Below
In terms of a trade package, any team would need to give up a few pretty prospects to even make Epstein not hang up the phone. Teams with solid to really good farm systems, like the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and even the Tampa Bay Rays, would become instant favorites to land Bryant if the team ever got to that point.
For the Padres, the fit would be contingent on Bryant agreeing to a mainly-outfield role, as with Manny Machado manning third base and Eric Hosmer at first, Bryant would need to see playing time in left or right field if he wanted to start. With Bryant’s first major contract a doozy for all teams to take on (once he signs in), he financially would become a hard player to roster for the Padres due to how much money they would have tied up in just three players – consider this outcome a bit of a long shot.
The Braves could become instant National League favorites to advance to the World Series if they were to acquire Bryant. With incumbent hot corner specialist Josh Donaldson only on a one-year deal this season, the team could decide to move on from the former Blue Jay in order to get a permanent solution over at third.
Bryant would get his immediate playing time that he would most likely want, the Braves would get another franchise superstar to build around and the Cubs would get their pick of the litter of one of the league’s best farm systems – a rare win-win-win situation that could potentially mark the beginning of the next dynasty in the NL.
The Rays, who are the only American League franchise marked in the hunt for Bryant, are a bit hard to see making this work, solely based on the financial aspect. Being a small-market team that has always had troubles conjuring up the necessary funding and putting asses in seats at the Trop, Kris Bryant would immediately become the team’s best building piece and the most expensive as well.
If they were to bring Bryant on for the long run, he would either sign a below-market deal for a guaranteed payday (which is almost impossible) or the Rays would somehow need to find that funding that would help make this deal work, which is almost as unlikely as Bryant taking less than what the market has set for him.
Bryant joining the Rays would immediately push this team into consistent postseason contention talks, which is a hard-to-believe concept involving the Rays that most people thought would never happen. By building around Bryant, young talent and key veteran pieces, the Kevin Cash-led sea animals have the tools to make baseball sexy to the state of Florida yet again.
Regardless of if he gets traded, resigns with the Cubs or leaves as a free agent in 2022, the situation surrounding Kris Bryant only gets juicier and juicier as the days go on. For the Cubbies, their hopes at retaining Bryant and all of the other pieces of their core looks to be difficult too, so the changing of the guard at Wrigley Field may be happening sooner rather than later.
