MLB Trade Rumors says Cubs are ‘long shot’ for Kris Bryant

It’s not hard to find a spot on the Cubs roster for Kris Bryant. Patrick Wisdom, despite his monster power showing down the stretch, may or may not be a long-term solution. In the outfield, you’re taking a roll-the-dice approach, hoping for more consistency from Ian Happ, a bounce back from Jason Heyward and simply for someone to seize the opportunity in left.

Should the designated hitter come to the Senior Circuit full-time, that’s yet another spot Bryant could fit. Despite the obvious fit on paper, Chicago ranks pretty low on the list of potential landing spots for the former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP if you’re asking the team over at MLB Trade Rumors.

In a Sunday afternoon piece, MLBTR broke down fits for Bryant, categorizing teams into the following groups:

• Teams with Known Interest
• Speculative Fits
• Long Shots

Teams with interest in Bryant include the Mariners, Rockies, Mets, Angels, Padres, Phillies, Astros and Giants. San Francisco seems unlikely given their reported feelings about Bryant’s time with the team last year, but given their financial flexibility and need for a big bat, you never know.

Moving onto that next group, you’ve got the Jays, Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees. We’ve heard about possibilities of Los Angeles, Boston and New York pondering a run at Carlos Correa post-lockout, but Bryant could be a more cost-effective offensive addition should a front office or ownership group balk at shelling out $300 million to one player.

If you’re wondering where the Cubs fall on this list, it’s in that third and final group: ‘long-shots’.

Chicago Cubs:  Kris Bryant isn’t going to spend his career on the North Side

They fall in along with the likes of the Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins, Nationals, Tigers, Twins and White Sox. The Tigers went out and added Eduardo Rodriguez and Javier Baez already. That’s not to say they can’t sign Bryant, but I wouldn’t say it’s likely. The Twins need pitching, Washington is re-tooling in a way similar to the Cubs and I don’t see Miami handing anyone a nine-figure deal this winter. Oh, and the White Sox are already at record level payrolls, so there’s next to no chance Bryant fits in there without some serious roster reconfiguration.

That would leave the Brewers, Cardinals, Braves and Cubs. Milwaukee, like the White Sox, are spending more than they’ve ever spent on payroll. St. Louis has a fairly deep lineup without Bryant already, and I still have to assume Atlanta spends their Kris Bryant money on franchise icon Freddie Freeman, who is still a free agent.

We know the Cubs prefer short-term, high-AAV deals at this point. We saw that in action with the Marcus Stroman signing and a report that suggests they want to try to get Correa on a seven-year deal as opposed to something that runs more than a decade.

Bryant will want long-term security and stability for himself and his young family. He’s not going to settle for a short contract if he can help it and, given all indications, this Cubs organization won’t budge on that front. Even calling them a ‘long shot’ is generous – but at least this list gives you an idea of just how many other teams are a better fit at this point.