Chicago Cubs: Reports contradict rumor of Kris Bryant rejecting extension

As you all know by now, Kris Bryant reportedly rejected a contract extension this summer. Or did he? Now, the validity of that report is under question.

Well, well, well.  How things have changed in a day. 24-plus hours ago, we were all talking about how Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant reportedly turned down a contract extension worth ‘well north of $200 million.’ That initial report, which came from David Kaplan of ESPN 1000, is now under siege on multiple fronts.

The lesson that seems to have come out of all this? Words matter.

We live in a time where the media at-large and individual reporters will say things and spin words as clickbait to entice the casual person to read an article or listen to your show. We hear about ‘fake news’ on a daily basis and are often left wondering whether our news sources are trustworthy in their reporting of the news.

This appears to be one of those times where words could have been specifically used to stretch or distort factual events. At the very least, Kaplan’s use of the word ‘several’ is disingenuous. At worst, it’s tabloid fodder.