3 Cubs that Jed Hoyer should trade in wake of Theo Epstein’s resignation

When his service time grievance was settled, trade rumors surfaced around Bryant fairly late last offseason. Maybe the offers weren’t that great, as teams knew he would be a free agent after 2021, or maybe Epstein just wanted to run it back as-is one more time in 2020 (pre-pandemic). The 60-game season, and basically a month between the start of the season and the trade deadline, all but eliminated the idea of an in-season trade sending Bryant elsewhere.

Bryant should push toward or a little above $20 million for next year, via arbitration or agreement on a one-year deal to avoid that process. Any talks about a long-term deal don’t seem to have any traction, so the Cubs seem resigned to losing him for nothing (besides a draft pick) next offseason.

Plenty of teams will (and surely do) have an interest in Bryant. So he’s a prime asset to help restock a lower-tier farm system and generally get younger/cheaper. Some prominent potential suitors include the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

Any sentimentality Epstein may have had toward Bryant, the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft, is gone. The idea the 2016 squad could make one more championship run together is gone with 2020. So Hoyer should not hesitate to swap Bryant to an aggressive team for multiple assets.