Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo – who returns?

(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
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Kris Bryant / Chicago Cubs
(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Chicago Cubs: This seems unlikely, but a Kris Bryant reunion would be huge

Why re-sign him: 

The most talented player the Cubs have had in years, Kris Bryant really showed off his versatility this year before being shipped off to San Fransisco. The former MVP made his fourth career All-Star game, and between the Cubs and Giants is slashing .271/.359/.501 with an .860 OPS, 25 homers, 70 RBI, 129 wRC+ and 3.8 fWAR on the year.

Bryant provides power, gets on base, has superb baserunning instincts and the ability to play all over the outfield and both corner infield spots. Because of his versatility, fitting him in on the team position-wise would not be difficult. He could play left field one day and third base the next.

Fans have seen what Bryant can do when healthy, and having him back in the lineup would make the team better – period. He would be the most polished, productive bat in the lineup if added to the current roster. Bryant sports a career .378 OBP, .885 OPS and135 wRC+. His career 18.6 UBR (Ultimate Base Running) could add to the potential good future of Cubs baserunning with Nick Madrigal, Nico Hoerner and Brennen Davis.

September 10th’s return of Bryant to Wrigley Field as a Giant showed how much the fans love him and he still embraces Chicago. Not that it means much in terms of the business side and what he does on the field, but it is worth remembering.

Why not re-sign him:

There are few reasons outside of nitpicking not to want a player like Bryant, but financials come into play. Agent Scott Boras has been looking forward to his upcoming 2022 payday since the moment his client arrived in the majors. No one has forgotten the service time grievance – especially not Boras.

Bryant is going to get paid – and you have to really dig in if you want to find some even semi-rational reasons to not want him back on the North Side next season.

While the “Bryant is fragile” narrative might be a bit extreme, the man has had his share of nagging injuries. It was reported that he had significant wrist problems in 2020, which ultimately derailed his season performance. Wrist issues have popped up with him on multiple occasions in his career, as have ankle/knee injuries. He also had shoulder inflammation in 2018, which caused him to miss significant time.

Talking about a nine-figure commitment, it’s worth pointing out that, while he has been solid overall the past few years, he has not repeated his 2016 MVP-caliber performance. From 2015-2017, Bryant averaged an fWAR of 6.9 per season. Since 2018 he has averaged an fWAR of 2.8 per season. This number might be a bit skewed with injury-shortened/COVID-impacted seasons, but he has not reached an fWAR of at least 5.0 since 2017. He also has only reached the 30+ home run mark once (2019) since his MVP season. Again, not to play down on these numbers as they are still very good. Just remember where he was in the first three years of his career.

Bryant very well could get paid like an MVP. The guy has been an All-Star in recent years, but not quite MVP-caliber. A long-term commitment to Bryant could be risky with his injury issues. Honestly, if he loves San Francisco and wants to stay there, good for him. He has earned the right to make that choice.

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