Cubs News: Considering options to replace an injured Kris Bryant

The Cubs added Kris Bryant to the IL, raising questions with no real answers.

If you were one of those fans who thought something was wrong with Kris Bryant and that he should have been resting and on the IL long before today, you can take solace in the fact that you were right. Unfortunately, that solace also means the Cubs have lost one of the best players they can put out on the field and one of the best players in baseball when healthy.

Granted, Bryant’s results this year haven’t been especially favorable (in a small sample size) and David Bote has filled in admirably, but… you don’t just replace a former MVP in the midst of his prime who has a lifetime OBP of .382.

So, maybe the curse of the leadoff man has transferred from the billy goat since winning the World Series in 2016, because nothing good seems to come out of it at all. It wrecked Kyle Schwarber for half a season, Ian Happ got sent back to the minors shortly after leading off with a bomb to start the 2018 MLB season and transformed Jason Heyward into a bum after he was having a solid season for most of last year. It seems like the only guy who hasn’t been completely messed up by that spot is Anthony Rizzo, but he’s not hitting a whole lot right now either.

Chicago Cubs: What’s really going on with Bryant?

Back to Bryant though, this injury brings up a couple questions and shines the spotlight on some issues. Number one being that the Cubs haven’t exactly used the IL to their advantage with Bryant or others over the past couple years, as they’ve let guys linger on the bench to try and rest when they probably should have just been put on the IL earlier so as to allow another man to fill that lost spot.

Another issue is that some of these minor issues seem to be lingering for Cubs players, specifically Bryant. For whatever reason, Bryant seems to have the luck of Wile E. Coyote the last several seasons, dealing with shoulder, hand, and wrist injuries that have derailed more than one campaign. This particular injury was specified as a “left ring-finger sprain and left wrist issue.” While the finger should heal given time and be something Bryant could play through, the wrist is particularly troubling.

With the way Bryant has seemed to drag his bat through the zone and be overmatched by even mediocre velocity, it’s not surprising that that front wrist is an issue. If it’s only 50-75 percent right now, that could be sapping almost all power and bat speed in a game where your wrists, forearms, and hands are of the utmost importance.

Everyone watching the Cubs over the last five years has seen Bryant hit and knows the power, eye, base-running, and flexibility the 2016 MVP can offer when healthy. They also have seen Bryant when he’s not at the height of his powers. Alas, it seems like forever ago when we last saw the newly-minted dad at 100 percent.

Chicago Cubs: How to replace a one-time MVP?

The last and most pressing issue for the Cubs in the midst of a 60 game season is this though: what are they going to do if this lingers and how do you replace a guy like Bryant in the lineup?

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So far, it hasn’t been all that pretty, but it seems the entire offense is in an extended slump with or without Bryant. Does this call for a trade to address this issue and the possibility Bryant may be out or affected for a much longer period of time than 10 days?

Internally, Bote and Nico Hoerner are the best options to man the hot corner, where they can both provide similar defense to Bryant. But, at the plate, both leave something to be desired, although they’re both patient and work good at bats. In the short term, internal works just fine; however, if Bryant is going to be less than 100 percent all year, normal circumstances might prompt the Cubs to target someone outside of the organization.

The problem with that is, who do you acquire and how much is it going to cost for a cash-strapped team who many assumed had to cut salary to get under the luxury tax threshold rather than adding big at the deadline?