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Up to this point Cubs fans have read about several trade proposals involving Kris Bryant. The media has certainly spent a lot of time speculating where Bryant could be traded, as the Cubs are not only expected to make big changes this offseason, but are reportedly trying to cut payroll as well heading into 2020.
There hasn’t been a link between the Cubs actually engaging in trade talks with any team, as much of the speculative discussion around the league has come from Theo Epstein’s end of the season comments when he said that now the Cubs would be more open to big trades than in prior years involving their core players. Well, we have the first team reportedly talking about a Bryant trade.
The Phillies.
The Phillies have a need at third base and outside of Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson there aren’t many more elite third baseman available. That makes Bryant a target for any team trying to add a great player at third. So, in that sense, the Phillies make sense as a team that’s interested.
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Right-handed pitcher Spender Howard and third baseman Alec Bohm would certainly be prospects the Cubs would want in return from the Phillies.
There has also been some speculation about the Braves pursuing Bryant in a trade.
Bryant has two more years of arbitration before becoming a free agent, but his grievance case still hasn’t been decided and that is holding up trade talks. If Bryant wins (there’s a very slim chance of that happening) then he’ll be a free agent after the 2020 season.
Right now, the best case scenario for the Cubs might just be for that case to continue to drag on so they can’t trade Kris Bryant.
