Cubs: Kris Bryant won’t be traded any time soon and should be extended

I sound like a broken record. But the only way the Kris Bryant-Chicago Cubs trade rumors to end is for the team to either deal him now or agree on a contract extension. The same can be said for Javier Baez, Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo, but we’ll focus on Bryant for the sake of this article.

The former NL MVP and the Cubs agreed to a $19.5 million salary for the 2021 season – Bryant’s final year of arbitration. Despite all the scenarios we’ve heard up to this point, the slugger will be the third baseman on the North Side when Opening Day rolls around.

Bryant previously spoke on how the rumors have taken their toll and affected his mindset on the field. His numbers the past few seasons reflect this.

Kris Bryant Last Five Seasons:

• 2016: (155 games) .292/.385/.554 39 HR 102 RBI (AS) (NL MVP)
• 2017: (151 games) .295/.409/.537 29 HR 73 RBI
• 2018: (102 games) .272/.374/.460 13 HR 52 RBI
• 2019: (147 games) .282/.382/.521 31 HR 77 RBI (AS)
• 2020: (34 games) .206/.293/.351 4 HR 11 RBI

Is it possible Bryant has peaked and his best years are behind him? Sure, but given he just turned 29 years old I highly doubt it, and I will die on a hill saying this guy still has more to give.

Cubs aren’t going to sell low, so why not extend Kris Bryant now?

At the end of the day, sports is a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ type of business. Some analysts and fans will quickly forget everything Bryant has done for this franchise because of his recent performances.

Still, it makes zero sense to trade Bryant now with his value is at an all-time low. If anything, the Cubs are better off trading him at the deadline where a contending team will offer more.

As of now Bryant is not going anywhere, and Jed Hoyer has said this multiple times.