Cubs Rumors: Seattle Mariners among teams interested in Kris Bryant

Before the Chicago Cubs sent All-Star jack-of-all-trades Kris Bryant to the Giants this July, the Seattle Mariners made a serious effort to acquire him, ultimately falling short in their pursuit. But now that Bryant is again available, this time as a free agent, Jerry Dipoto once again has the former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP in his sights.

Seattle made its first splash of the offseason this weekend, swinging a deal with the Padres to add Adam Frazier – who struggled after coming to San Diego at the deadline. He’s heading into his final year of control and the M’s paid a relatively light price to add the utility man to the mix.

In 155 games between Pittsburgh and San Diego last season, Frazier hit a career-best .305/.368/.411 and brings a high degree of defensive versatility – ironically, something Bryant would also give Seattle, which made a surprising run at ending a two-decade postseason drought this year.

As for Bryant, this latest report lines up perfectly with what we’d previously heard: the Scott Boras client has no intentions of rushing the free agency process, even with the Dec. 1 lockout looming. He’s content to slow play the winter – which is something we’ve seen Boras do with star clients in the past, as well.

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant prefers to play on the West Coast moving forward

We’ve known for awhile that Seattle has had their eye on Bryant – and, good news for him, we know the three-time All-Star wants to play on the West Coast. A few months ago, it seemed like he’d wind up re-signing with the Giants long-term, but that idea has fallen to the wayside in rather dramatic fashion.

Despite the withering criticism and constant ire of Cubs fans, there’s no questioning Bryant’s abilities. In Seattle, he can do what he’s always done defensively – fill a need wherever one arises, whether it be in the outfield or a corner infield spot – or they can just let him focus on hitting. If he primarily served as a DH, I can’t help but wonder if it would help him stay healthy and get back to putting up the numbers we saw early in his career.

Unlike several other stars, we won’t get a resolution on Kris Bryant anytime soon. But there certainly seems to be plenty of smoke surrounding the Mariners – so much so that I can’t help but think, ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’.