Chicago Cubs: One way or another, Kris Bryant is gone either way
Let’s say the Chicago Cubs somehow beat the system with their expert legal team. They go in to the meeting and say they were completely innocent in holding Bryant out those two weeks in 2017. MLB then rules in the Cubs’ favor and Bryant is told he will have to stay another year. You mean to tell me that this guy is going to be motivated to play for this team?
Of course not.
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The Chicago Cubs, on the other hand, would now have Bryant for another year and could trade him before he enters free agency. If the Cubs win the grievance, then almost definitely Bryant would be traded.
But don’t you already get that feeling that it is exactly what Bryant wants? It’s almost as if he knows that the one certain outcome of the grievance is that he will finally get to go somewhere else. Either way he’s out. Part of me wonders if Bryant was somehow mistreated during his camp years and has built up a resentment of the club? Why else would there always be this feeling of ‘the grass may be greener on the other side’ when it comes to Bryant’s actions.
It’s very much the same feeling I had about Dexter Fowler during the World Series celebrations. The usual jovial and loud right fielder was quiet during the celebrations in the weeks that followed the championship. You could tell he was going to jump ship; you had that feeling. Bryant could be Fowler’s twin in this example and may even be following Fowler’s playbook.
Whether it’s even actually Bryant and not his agent pulling all these negative strings, is a matter of some talk right now among fans. No one wants to think of Bryant as the ‘bad guy’ or the guy that broke up the Beatles. Instead, fans turn on Bryant’s agent Scott Boras as the bad guy whose making the lovable third baseman do all these dastardly things to the Cubs and even hold out during negotiations.
To say that Bryant doesn’t know exactly what’s going on with his own career is a bit naive. After all, he’s the one signing all of Boras’ checks. That means the signs are that Kris Bryant is exactly where he wants to be: on his way out.