Cubs Rumors: No extension talks with Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo

If you’re still holding your breath for a piece of out-of-the-blue extension news when it comes to the Chicago Cubs, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it seems very unlikely at this point.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer held court with the media on Thursday and touched on every topic under the sun, including the fact that the organization is not currently talking about extensions with any of their core players.

That means at year’s end, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez will all test the waters of free agency for the first time. Barring a new deal, two-time All-Star catcher Willson Contreras will follow suit next offseason.

“Right now there aren’t (contract extension) discussions going on with the players,” Hoyer said. “It’s the middle of May, we’re playing and I think that’s not what’s on their minds. We always have the door open during the season, but we’re not going to actively reach out. I think we’ve been asked not to do that in a lot of ways because that’s not what the players want to deal with.”

Both Rizzo and Bryant issued Opening Day deadlines for extensions, which means the two will either be traded or simply run out the clock on the final year of their respective contracts. Baez and Contreras seem more open to talks – but there’s been nothing on that front, either.

Bryant is easily the team’s most valuable trade chip right now given his MVP-caliber showing so far in the 2021 campaign. He enters Friday’s matchup with the Cardinals second in the National League in WAR (2.2), according to Fangraphs and has bucked the league wide trend of lackluster offensive performances.

He’s done this while playing a different position on a near-nightly basis, only expanding the list of potential trade suitors we could see come calling this summer. Making nearly $20 million, that added versatility makes his price tag more palatable for contenders looking for a big bat.

Did the Cubs burn their bridge when it comes to Anthony Rizzo?

This spring, Chicago low-balled Rizzo with an offer that fell tens of millions of dollars shy of what he was reportedly targeting (Paul Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million contract that was signed at the same age).

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The three-time All-Star put a hard stop on talks with the team once the season started and the guy who once seemed like the likeliest to finish his career as a Cub now looks like an almost sure-bet to leave when he hits free agency this fall. There are plenty of teams who could be in on Rizzo, especially his hometown Miami Marlins, who could install him as the veteran leader in an organization dripping with young, promising talent.

Rizzo has bounced back from a so-so 2020 with a 130 OPS+ so far this season. But he’s still off the pace of his career norms in a fairly significant way.

• 2014-2019: .284/.388/.513
• 2021: .257/.368/.444

The power hasn’t been there yet for the slugger, but his strong bat-to-ball skillset remains one of his biggest assets as he heads deeper into his 30s. It remains to be seen if a Joey Votto-esque transformation into more of an on-base presence rather than a 30-homer bat would impact his earning potential, but it’s nice to see him putting up solid numbers with a number of stars across MLB struggling at the plate.