This Cubs hero from 2016 is standing on the precipice of complete irrelevancy

There's not a Chicago Cubs fan on the planet who doesn't want to see Kris Bryant recapture the magic he showed us early in his career. But, sadly, that situation couldn't be further from the truth - with the former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP again failing spectacularly as the highest-paid member of the Colorado Rockies.

This week, Rockies fans actually booed Bryant after a bases-loaded strikeout at Coors Field - a sign of just how far he's fallen since signing a seven-year, $182 million deal ahead of the 2022 season.

There are no mincing words here. Bryant has been awful as a Rockie - and his lowest point yet seems to be the start of the 2025 season. He's slashing just .171/.216/.229 and has punched out in nearly one-third of his trips to the plate. Even the move to protect him from the wear and tear of playing the field has done nothing to improve the situation, which felt like a last-ditch effort from the team to turn this thing around.

Colorado owes the 33-year-old $108 million through the 2028 season - at a price tag of $27 annually. Are the Rockies a team that's in serious contention? No. But it's hard to see a path where they don't end up cutting ties with Bryant to open up playing time for a younger player sooner rather than later. There's just no reason to believe there's some dramatic turnaround coming for the former Cubs' franchise cornerstone.

In his first three years with Chicago, he did it all - arriving to Wrigley Field as a pre-anointed savior of the franchise. And what's even more incredible is he lived up to that incredulous billing. From 2015 to 2017, Bryant was an All-Star twice, earned National League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in '15 and '16, respectively, and his worst single-season showing netted 5.4 bWAR.

Despite injuries in the years to come - and a COVID-shortened 2020 season - Bryant piled up 28.0 bWAR in seven years with the club. Since joining the Rockies four years ago, he's at -1.4 bWAR - and just hit 162 games played this April, a testament to how little he's been able to be on the field.

You want to hope for the best for the guys who helped deliver an unforgettable season like 2016. But we've reached the point where that feels like a fool's errand when it comes to Bryant. If he was still in the league by this time next year - frankly, I'd be surprised. What started as a career on a Hall of Fame trajectory looks destined to end as one best known as one of the biggest free-agent busts of all time.