MLB Trade Deadline: Did Kris Bryant get traded by the Cubs?

The Chicago Cubs fire sale has already claimed a few fan favorites at the MLB Trade Deadline, but what happened to Kris Bryant? 

It’s been a tough year for Chicago Cubs fans, one that has compounded immense pain into less than half a month.

While trade rumors have been swirling around the Cubs since the winter, things didn’t start to pick up until the week leading up to the deadline. Fans on the North Side have been battered against the ivy-covered outfield walls as the team vacillated between being buyers at the deadline and selling off its World Series core full of fan favorites.

Guys like Joc Pederson and Andrew Chafin were the first to go, but Thursday drove the stake through the hearts of Cubs fans everywhere. Anthony Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees for a pair of top prospects.

With Rizzo gone — and surprisingly the first of the Cubs core to be moved — all eyes returned to Bryant and what would happen with his future.

MLB Trade Rumors: Did Kris Bryant get traded?

The MLB Trade Deadline passes on Friday afternoon at 4 pm ET, which means the Cubs have until then to make a deal.

If Bryant isn’t traded, the Cubs could try to move him during the waiver deadline period, but that would require Bryant to clear waivers before a trade could happen — which wouldn’t happen.

Kris Bryant contract

Here’s what’s left on the Kris Bryant contract that a team acquiring him would inherit.

2021: $19.5M
2022: Unrestricted Free Agent

The fact that Bryant only has a handful of months left on his contract is a major reason the Cubs are trying to move him. There’s uncertainty as to whether or not he’ll re-sign with Chicago, and rather than let him walk for whatever compensatory picks the Cubs would get — which wouldn’t nearly come close to equalling Bryant’s value — the motivation is to move him and gain pieces for the future while saying goodbye to the past.

There’s silver lining for Cubs fans, however. Bryant has floated the idea of potentially signing with the Cubs in free agency, which would mean Chicago could trade him now to acquire future pieces and then bring Bryant back in the winter.

Of course, there’s bad blood between Bryant and the Cubs in regards to his service time back when he was originally called up, so this could be a ploy to sink his trade value and flip the bird to the Cubs — not Cubs fans, though — on his way out the door.