The latest Kris Bryant trade rumor will absolutely enrage Cubs fans

Kris Bryant might get traded this offseason and Cubs fans would lose it if this rumor comes to fruition.

The Chicago Cubs are still a force in the NL Central, but the fact that David Ross and the new front office are looking to contend doesn’t necessarily mean that Kris Bryant is guaranteed to stay in Chicago following an awful 2020 season. The Washington Nationals, dissatisfied with Carter Kieboom at third base, could look to swoop in for the three-time All-Star and 2016 MVL. While Cubs fans might be satisfied with this hypothetical move if they get a haul in return, the package some experts are expecting they can receive is downright paltry.

MLB Network analyst Jim Duquette hypothesizes if Bryant ends up getting traded to the Nationals, veteran infielder and former Cub, Starlin Castro could return to the North Side.

Kris Bryant is coming off of the worst season of his career

Bryant hit just .206 with four home runs last year, only playing in 34 of Chicago’s 60 games. While everything that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong near the end of the season for the Cubs, his performance over the course of the season was an abject failure.

Castro is still just 30 years old and has totaled at least 133 hits in every season prior to 2020, in which he played just 16 games. While Castro would be a veteran infielder with an above-average ability to put the ball in play that could slide in at second and third base, trading away a former MVP for him will certainly enrage Cubs to no end.

Jed Hoyer has quite the pivotal offseason ahead of him, as he has to keep the Cubs a contender while also convincing fans that he is a worthy successor to Theo Epstein. Trading a potential All-Star in Bryant for a slightly above-average second baseman and Cubs cast-off would get the offseason off to a calamitous start.