Cubs decision to trade Kris Bryant unfortunately looking better by the day
Kris Bryant is a Chicago Cubs legend. Unfortunately, not every legend is meant to finish their career in the uniform they made their biggest mark in. Teams that can successfully predict which players don't warrant further investment are ultimately better off, as bittersweet as that may be.
For the Cubs, letting Bryant go looks like a smarter decision with each passing season.
Rather than negotiating a new contract with Bryant in 2021, Chicago traded the former MVP to the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline. He went on to sign a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Rockies. Not even halfway through that deal, Colorado is surely having buyer's remorse. The Cubs have certainly been vindicated.
Kris Bryant's lingering back issues vindicate Cubs, frustrates Rockies
Bryant missed the second half of April and first half of May with back issues after crashing into the outfield wall. His return from IL was short lived. On Sunday, he further exacerbated his back while making a catch against the Dodgers. He was out Monday's lineup as a result.
Rockies Kris Bryant out of lineup today. Bud Black said KB “a little sore” after making a twisting catch Sunday in LA
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) June 3, 2024
KB consulting with doctors and trainers.
The Cubs were all but vindicated when Bryant made these comments to the Denver Post:
"I guess it’s hard to speak on because I’m not a doctor, but the discs in my back are pretty much dried up, so there’s a couple of discs that … they don’t function like they did 10 years ago. My facet joints are a little — not a little — they are pretty severely arthritic, and (there are) a lot of bone spurs and stuff like that. It’s just part of getting older. That’s the way the doctor explained it to me. So I just have to find a way to manage it as best I can.”
When he puts it like that, it's not hard to see why Bryant has played more than 80 games just once in the last four years. He is 32 years old but apparently, he's playing in the body of a 65-year-old.
Chicago is having their own run of misfortune. They haven't won a series since beating the Pirates on May 12. At least they can take some comfort that they're not dealing with another Kris Bryant injury crisis while he soaks up $26 million of payroll per year.
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