Cubs Rumors: Jed Hoyer ‘absolutely’ sees Kris Bryant on Opening Day roster

Chicago Cubs: Trading Bryant now would be selling wildly low

Chicago tendered the former MVP a contract last week and is set to make just under $20 million for the 2021 season. Even with a contract in place, a possible trade involving Bryant has not been ruled out, though Hoyer said he “absolutely” sees a path where Bryant is wearing a Cub uniform on Opening Day.

"“I think that’s been treated as a certainty,” Hoyer said. “Listen, Kris is a great player–he’s a superstar player–that obviously didn’t have the year that he had hoped. But when you look at our offense, there were several other players that had similar struggles.”"

Since the end of the statistical stinker of a 2020 season, I have been a big believer the Cubs are better off holding onto Bryant until at least next year’s trade deadline. I say that because of Bryant’s value, which is at an all-time low. The global pandemic has metaphorically infected the offseason market, leaving teams less willing to take risks and commit large salaries during this period of uncertainty.

No one is going to trade away their future for a player who has injury concerns and barely hit above .200 last season. I think the better gamble is to hope Bryant can perform better than last season, and move him when a contending team is willing to go all-in. Judging by his comments on Thursday, I believe Hoyer is of the same mindset.

"“What do we expect from him in ‘21? We expect far more of the normal Kris Bryant-type performance than we got last year,” Hoyer said. “I don’t think it should be treated as a fait accompli that [a trade is] going to happen.”"