Real reason Kris Bryant didn't attend 2016 Cubs Convention reunion is heartbreaking

The former MVP's absence at Cubs Con was a major topic of conversation.
Ezra Shaw/GettyImages

Kris Bryant's career got off to a historic start, with the Chicago Cubs' star winning Rookie of the Year in 2015, then following it up with National League MVP honors and a World Series ring in 2016.

Many Cubs fans hoped to see Bryant at last weekend's reunion of the 2016 team as part of Cubs Convention festivities - and were disappointed (and downright outraged) after false reports surfaced suggesting his current team, the Colorado Rockies, barred him from attending. However, now, we know the real reason KB wasn't in attendance.

Bryant's Rockies tenure has been nothing short of disastrous. He's averaged just 42 games per season during his four years in the Mile High City, battled recurring back injuries that have his very future on the field in doubt heading into 2026 and, even when in the lineup, he's been a shell of the player we saw a decade ago in Chicago.

Kris Bryant's time with the Rockies has been a complete disaster

Despite a seventh-place finish in MVP voting in 2017, Bryant never recaptured his dominant form from those first two seasons with the Cubs, as injuries sidelined him and limited his production in many of the years that followed. By the time the 2021 trade deadline rolled around, there was little doubt it was the end of the line for the former first-rounder's time on the North Side.

Chicago traded him to San Francisco, where he closed out the season before signing with what seemed like the unlikeliest team of all that winter in free agency in the Rockies. Bryant inked a monster seven-year, $182 million deal that's turned out to be one of the biggest free-agent busts in MLB history.

Bryant will always be loved by Cubs fans and his eventual return to the organization will be an emotional moment. This was a guy we all thought was destined for greatness - but instead has battled through serious injuries at far too early an age. No one can question whether or not he cares: the fact he missed last weekend's events shows he's well aware he hasn't lived up to his deal.

It seems like a long shot - but I just hope he finds a way to get back on the field and enjoy the game again. Short of that, I think all Cubs fans just want him to find some inner peace after years of pain and frustration in Colorado.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations