Cubs are the clear losers in the Kris Bryant trade after Alexander Canario gets DFAd

When the fanbase was up in arms following a highly emotional 2021 trade deadline, I repeatedly stressed patience. It was going to take more than weeks or months to fairly judge the talent that came back in the trades of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez - now, it seems, we can just about close the book on the Bryant deal.

On Thursday, the Chicago Cubs designated outfield prospect Alexander Canario for assignment to clear room on the 40-man for recent acquisition Justin Turner. Given he was out of minor league options, Canario would have had to break camp in Arizona with the Cubs or we'd be hitting this very same inflection point at the end of spring training.

Prior to the Turner addition, Canario was getting reps at first base in hopes of helping improve the roster flexibility while improving his chances of earning a spot on the team. But with a crowded outfield picture, even if he could back up Michael Busch at first, the fit seemed to be tenuous, at best.

Chicago acquired Canario in the Bryant trade, along with pitching prospect Caleb Kilian. Kilian has had an up-and-down journey with the organization and has made just eight big-league appearances in the last three years. While he's had a great deal of success in the lower levels of the minors, he's hit some bumps in the road at Triple-A (4.21 ERA, 2.37 K/BB, 1.388 WHIP in 271 2/3 innings) and his long-term role with the club is still very much up in the air.

As for Canario, for whatever reason, neither David Ross nor Craig Counsell seemed to have a lot of confidence in him as a legitimate MLB option. He put up decent numbers in limited at-bats (136 OPS+, .286/.333/.524 in 45 plate appearances) but never had much runway to regular playing time.

At Iowa, he boasts an .866 OPS and he lit up the Dominican Winter League this winter, slashing .304/.411/.544 for the Aguilas Cibaenas. It's hard to imagine the Cubs not being able to find a taker for Canario via trade - this is a guy who has shown plenty of potential, but has never had the opportunity to prove himself.

Looking at the flip side of the trade, Bryant closed out the 2021 season with San Francisco's team that improbably ran off 107 wins, putting up a 113 OPS+ down the stretch. That's not what he's known for at this point, though. After signing a mega-deal with the Colorado Rockies the following winter, the former MVP has appeared in just 159 games over the last three years.

Extending Bryant may have proven to be disastrous for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs. But it's hard to say the team came out winners in the trade that ended his time in Wrigleyville given the impending loss of Canario and the uncertainty that continues to surround Kilian.