Cubs listed among best fits for Carlos Correa, Anthony Rizzo and more

Chicago Cubs: Sorry, Jim Bowden, but Kris Bryant isn’t coming back

If I have to read one more story about how Kris Bryant could wind up coming back to the North Side, I’m going to lose my mind.

For years, the team failed to work out an extension. There’s the lingering effects of the service time manipulation from his rookie year, the incessant trade rumors and constant criticism and an undeserved label of Bryant being ‘soft’ or ‘oft-injured’. If I were the former MVP, I’d pack my bags and never look back.

It sounds like San Francisco is out of the running unless his price tag drops significantly. Bowden sees the Phillies as the best fit and I agree with him. The chance to spend the back half of his career playing along lifelong friend Bryce Harper would be a dream come true and the Phillies aren’t afraid to pay.

Other teams mentioned include the Rockies (I’d be shocked but, hey, never say never) and the Mariners – a young team on the rise looking to break a two-plus decade postseason drought.  Adding the veteran presence and versatility of Bryant could help put them over the top and back into October for the first time since 2001.