Chicago Cubs: Trading Kris Bryant isn’t as simple as it might seem

Chicago Cubs: Donaldson is looking to cash in this winter

After an injury-shortened 2018 campaign, Josh Donaldson bet on himself last offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves in hopes of re-establishing his value. That gamble paid off, as the 34-year-old turned in a monster year, turning in a .900 OPS while smacking 37 home runs and 33 doubles for the NL East champion Braves.

With Anthony Rendon off the board in short order, multiple teams have turned their focus to Donaldson. According to Mark Feinsand, the Braves, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins have all made the former American League MVP four-year offers in the $100 million range.

If you’re the Cubs, you’re hoping the Twins come away with Donaldson. Both Atlanta and Washington, among other clubs, have been mentioned as potential trade partners for Bryant, so you obviously want them both to have that need at third base. With Donaldson off the board, someone like Bryant becomes a much higher priority for said clubs.

I’d suspect the Donaldson sweepstakes wraps up in fairly short order. The real question for the Cubs, though, even if he picks his next club in the next week or two isn’t about their former first-rounder (that’s right, Chicago drafted Donaldson in the first round in 2007) – but about Bryant and his ongoing grievance.

Chicago Cubs still waiting on ruling in Bryant’s grievance case

Epstein has a lot of problems this offseason. Ownership has put a hard stop on spending and may very well have mandated the team get under the luxury tax threshold for 2020.

His club has countless holes and shortcomings and, without money, addressing them becomes increasingly difficult. Oh, and the easiest way to do so would necessitate trading a superstar like Bryant – which the team can’t do until they hear back on the outcome of his service time grievance.

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In theory, such a decision will be coming in January. But even then, that leaves Epstein mere weeks to work out a deal to send Bryant packing before the Cubs will report to Spring Training in Arizona.

The grievance, filed after the 2015 season, alleges the team manipulated Bryant’s service time when they called him up in mid-April in order to gain an additional year of control. Now, there’s little doubt in my mind personally that’s exactly what happened. But the Cubs have cover. Their starting third baseman, Mike Olt, went down less than a week prior to this with a wrist injury. They needed a third baseman and, lo and behold, Bryant makes his debut.

What’s at stake? Well, everything – at least when it comes to the team’s offseason plans. If the arbitrator rules in favor of the Cubs, Epstein can sell other clubs on a franchise-altering talent with two years of control. If things go the other way, it’s a very different story as Bryant would hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign.

Chicago Cubs: An Arenado trade could change everything

As if there weren’t enough moving parts in this whole trading Bryant scenario, Jon Morosi is reporting that there’s a ’50-50′ shot the Colorado Rockies trade Nolan Arenado this offseason.

Arenado, a five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glover, is one of the best players in the game, hands-down. Last season, he had a .962 OPS while hitting 41 home runs and finishing in the Top 10 in MVP voting for the fifth straight season.

He signed a massive contract extension with Colorado recently, a seven-year, $260 million deal that runs through 2025. That likely rules out any small market teams, leaving clubs like Atlanta, Washington or maybe the Dodgers as potential suitors, although Morosi says the Rockies are unlikely to trade Arenado within the division.

All that considered, acquiring Bryant and acquiring Arenado are two different animals. The former has just two years of control and is slated to make $18.5 million in arbitration this offseason. Arenado, meanwhile, makes nearly double that ($35 million annually) for the next five years. The cost is significant in either case – and this could be the storyline to follow in the weeks to come.