Kris Bryant is heading to the Rockies!
The Colorado Rockies made a move on Friday to shock the MLB world by signing the 30-year old third baseman/outfielder to a 7-year deal worth $182 million dollars, per Jeff Passan. Bryant was one of the most sought over free agents on the open market this offseason and had plenty of potential suitors including the Mets and Phillies. However, Colorado emerged as a dark horse candidate in March and ultimately ended up winning the Bryant sweepstakes. Bryant takes a career .278 batting average and 167 homers to Colorado as he looks to lead the Rockies to the postseason in the near future.
The Rockies were a surprising contender to sign Bryant given the fact that they traded star third baseman Nolan Arenado away last year and are expected to lose shortstop Trevor Story in free agency this offseason. It looked as if they were entering a full rebuild. But that might not be case as evidenced by this deal. Colorado is hopeful that Bryant can lead them to their first ever World Series championship down the road.
He played a major role in helping the Chicago Cubs break their World Series drought in 2016, so he certainly knows what it takes to win in big games. Kris Bryant is also a four-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion. Additionally, he is known as a good clubhouse presence and should be a tremendous mentor in the youthful Rockies clubhouse.
The Rockies got their guy so it will be interesting to see if they can build a winner around him moving forward!