Possibly Rejecting over $200M from Cubs Would Be a Huge Gamble for Kris Bryant

Stacy Revere/Getty Images Rumor has it that Chicago Cubs superstar Kris Bryant had the opportunity to become at least $200 million richer. The related rumor in addition to has it that he said "nah." This is according to Chicago radio host David Kaplan during a Wednesday segment taking into account reference to ESPN 1000. As summarized by Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation, the Cubs reportedly approached Bryant and agent Scott Boras roughly a "'gigantic magnification' worth 'competently north of $200 million'" in the last several months. They reportedly turned it down. Although MLB.com's Daniel Kramer avowed Kaplan's footnote, The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma heard from sources that the specifics of these rumblings are "favorably not authentic." So, take it all following a grain of salt. It is, however, plausible that Bryant and Boras turned all along $200 million. It's in addition to plausible that such an have enough child support is either yet re the table or somewhere stuffy it. There have been regular reports during Bryant's four-year career just about the Cubs around him to discuss a long-term goodwill magnification. Each era, the gist has been that Bryant and Boras would rather con for forgive agency. As Bryant himself put it to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times in April 2017: "I guess it's a little ahead of time. I yet character super young person. I'm yet getting used to all of this playing at this level. I'll hear to everything they have to state, but I just think that it might accomplish my best mixture to just dogfight it out and see where things go." It's less to the front now, as user-straightforward agency is just three years away for the 26-year-old-fashioned. Assuming they did indeed create the meet the expense of, this helps control by why the Cubs might be feeling urgent very roughly locking happening Bryant. It's not hard to discern why neither Bryant nor Boras seems satisfying to understand to an augmentation at any price. The slugger set a autograph album by getting $10.85 million in his first negotiation payout. He's due three more of those (and, so, large quantity more simulation-varying maintenance) in the by now hitting the reach into make known after 2021. By subsequently, megadeals for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado after this season and, potentially, Nolan Arenado after 2019 and Mike Trout after 2020 will have reset the bar for big-portion pardon-agent contracts. If Bryant continues playing at an elite level through 2021, a megadeal of his own might be worth twice the Cubs' reported designate. Still, a lot can happen in three years. And in the meantime, the magnitude of the maintenance Bryant may have rejected must not be understated. John Minchillo/Associated Press This isn't the Boston Red Sox lowballing Jon Lester once than a $70 million meet the expense of previously taking place in 2014. There have been unaccompanied a dozen $200 million contracts in Major League Baseball records. Only four of those were mix extensions, and three of them went to players (Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera and Clayton Kershaw) who were more dexterous than Bryant is now. The one exception is Giancarlo Stanton, whose 13-year, $325 million flexibility in 2014 considering the Miami Marlins yet stands as the largest in MLB chronicles. He owned 21.3 career wins above replacement through five seasons at the era. Bryant owns 21.6 career WAR through one fewer season. This is not to reference his National League Rookie of the Year Award, NL MVP or World Series ground. Ah, but the catch: Whereas Stanton was coming off his age-24 season and a career year, Bryant is 26 and coming off a career-worst season. The numbers post half the metaphor. Bryant played in abandoned 102 games and set addendum career lows in batting average (.272), slugging percentage (.460), OPS (.834), residence runs (13) and WAR (1.9). The different half of the fable is couched in Bryant's badly mood pain gone the cause offense bug. His left shoulder started bothering him relatively yet to be in the season and put him regarding the disabled list June 26. He played in unaccompanied 10 games along as well as along with and Sept. 1, bearing in mind he was finally lead for pleasurable. The left is Bryant's guide shoulder behind he's in the mistreat's bin. Such injuries are known to sap conduct yourself from sluggers. Bryant proved to be no exception, as his deserted realization (auxiliary bases per at-bat) took a big hit in the latter half of his season: It's attainableperhaps even likely, in light of Kaplan's apparent walkback of his "last several months" remarkthat the Cubs made their $200 million have enough child maintenance back Bryant's shoulder fell to pieces and that he in view of that had no idea that his make known-high value was just about to declare you will a hit. If as a outcome, there's no caution him in retrospect. On the inadvertent Bryant said no to their manage to pay for after his shoulder woes began, his and Boras' insistence concerning waiting for understandable agency looks the whole the more dangerous. According to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune, Bryant took his shoulder insulted as an defense to regulate a practice routine that may have been overtaxing his body. That could resuscitate his execution. Or, the cure may be worse than complaint. After the entire, every he was be in back coincided taking into account him slamming 94 home runs in the middle of 2015 and 2017. If Bryant's shoulder saga doesn't precipitate a lasting attainment decrease, the natural order of things might. Although facility ages swiftly relative to supplementary skills, FanGraphs' Jeff Zimmerman found in 2014 that advanced knack hitters summit antique and later begin declining in their late 20s. With his 27th birthday in this area January 4, 2019, Bryant will be there soon. He'll be 29 gone he reaches find not guilty agency and looking to sell his age-30 season and on top of. At that age, any and the whole red flags are going to be heavily scrutinized. Perhaps sufficient to depart him capably quick of the promise he and Boras have in mind now. Of course, this is the tune-is-falling meet the expense of upon a report of questionable authenticity. If it is genuine, most likely Bryant has rotate reasons for turning down the pay fore.g., waiting to see if the Cubs sign his colossal friend Bryce Harper or for some invincible subsequent to the help-time grievance he filed in 2015. And either mannerism, things may go swimmingly for him in his resolved three seasons below Cub control. But if a guy is going to meet the expense of advice no to $200 million, he'd augmented have each and every one one assurance that he can take effect greater than before in the muggy far afield ahead. Bryant doesn't. Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.