Kris Bryant Rumors: Rockies’ heavy pursuit of former MVP makes no sense

Colorado Rockies fans are undoubtedly confused right now – but at least they’re not sharpening their pitchforks and lighting their torches like Reds fans. After trading Nolan Arenado for peanuts and simply running down the clock on Trevor Story, all of the sudden, the team is making a legitimate run at former Chicago Cubs star and 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant.

According to Jon Heyman, talks are escalated within the organization – although we haven’t heard much in terms of an update so far here on Tuesday.

Bryant, of course, is a former first-round pick of the Cubs who racked up a ton of hardware early in his career – going from Minor League Player of the Year to NL Rookie of the Year to National League MVP in a three-year span. He’s never been able to replicate those numbers from the first couple seasons of his career, but remains a ‘plus’ bat with tremendous defensive versatility.

Once quick way to spark his offense? Let him play half of his home games at Coors Field for the next five years. In his career, Bryant only has 16 games under his belt in Denver, so there’s not much to draw from there as far as the sample size or meaningful takeaways.

Kris Bryant isn’t enough to get the Rockies to the top of the NL West

The National League West isn’t exactly what I’d call a wide open race heading into 2022, although there are a lot of free agents available who could shift that landscape in the coming weeks. The Dodgers, a perennial favorite in the division, is a frontrunner for Freddie Freeman – although they also lost the likes of Max Scherzer and Corey Seager, among others, in free agency.

San Francisco is coming off a 107-win season, but feature an aging roster that’s in need of reinforcements. They’re definitely a team to keep an eye on as free agency continues in the coming weeks because they’ve got dollars to spend and several needs across the diamond.

Arizona is spinning its wheels in the desert and the Padres are in a weird, weird spot. Fernando Tatis Jr. could miss three-plus months after sustaining a wrist fracture while riding a motorcycle this winter – and they’re up against the wall in terms of payroll, in desperate need of unloading some big contracts (which could make for a prime opportunity if you’re Jed Hoyer and the Cubs).

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Kris Bryant would be a great fit in the Mile High City – it’s just strange to see a team drop not one, but two, franchise icons in such a short span only to turn around and invest so heavily in a new star. I’m here for it. But in baseball, it’s a rarity – especially in Colorado.