Cubs need to unload these two contracts to right the ship financially

The Cubs are grappling with major financial woes heading into the offseason.

The offseason is rapidly approaching for all of Major League Baseball, but the Chicago Cubs have already put the shortened season behind them and are looking toward 2021. After a disappointing 2019 campaign, the Chicago Cubs were once again contenders in 2020. The North Siders clinched the National League Central and made a postseason appearance. However, their life in the postseason was short-lived due to the fact the Miami Marlins swept the Cubs in the Wild Card Round.

This ending to the 2020 abbreviated season was particularly disappointing, as this was perceived by many as the 2016 World Series championship-winning core’s last chance for a second ring. Now, all that is left to do is move forward and figure out who will stay and who will go before next season. Will Chicago be forced to run it back one more time or will they partake in a full-fledged rebuild?

There is no denying that the Cubs’ payroll will not permit the team to keep the entirety of the team’s core. But given the financial picture painted by the team and the league – the front office needs to jettison some of those high-dollar contracts.

Chicago doled out prorated salaries this season – paying just over $75.6 million, the seventh-highest total in the league. Of course, you can’t forget to take into account no team received any revenue from having fans in attendance this year, either.

It seems likely most teams will be slamming on the brakes when it comes to spending heading into 2021. There are always exceptions, of course, and it’s these teams that will represent the Cubs’ best course forward: unloading two of their biggest contracts in Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel.

Chicago Cubs: Bryant’s contract could be dead weight for the team

Kris Bryant is one of the biggest names on the Cubs, and his future with the organization remains a mystery. Will he be traded? Will the team find the means to extend him? At this point, it is anyone’s guess. However, what is certain is that Bryant is enjoying the fruits of his early seasons in the league – performances which he’s failed to live up to of late.

The former NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP and three-time All Star has left an indelible mark on the North Siders over his six years with the team. In 2018, he slashed .272/.374/.460 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. This is not the best Bryant has played in the slightest, but his 2020 numbers were unrecognizable. In 2020, Bryant turned in a .206/.293/.351 slash line across the 34 games he appeared in during the abbreviated season.

Since the esteemed 28-year-old third baseman did not play up to par, I think the Cubs to try to trade Bryant to get rid of the brevity of his contract that is impacting payroll. The former first-rounder has an impressive track record that would undoubtedly make him a hot commodity on the trade market.

Bryant is under team control for one more year.  If the Cubs don’t trade him this winter, his early 2021 performance could either further diminish his value or help him regain value ahead of the trade deadline.