17:25: The deal includes a complete ban on trading, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.link to twitter).
17:22: The Rocky Mountains agree Chris Bryant on a seven-year, $182 million deal, according to MLB Network’s John Heyman (Twitter links). Colorado made no secret of their desire to get a big bat in free agency, and they did so with the second-highest offseason guarantee to date. Bryant is a client of Boras Corporation.
Bryant will be the new face of the franchise that has been sold Nolan Arenado and saw Trevor’s story hit by free agents over the past two offseasons. It’s the biggest free agent investment in franchise history and will tie the four-time All-Star to Denver throughout his 36-year season.
In the offseason, few expected the Colorado to make such a splash. The Rockies have finished fourth in the NL West in each of their last three seasons and are 74-87 in 2021. and the front office said they didn’t think the team was that far from contention.
Since the start of the off-season, Colorado has reportedly set their sights on a major offensive upgrade in their fielding roster. The Rockies have reportedly contacted players such as Kyle Schwarber as well as Michael Conforto too, but in recent days it has become clear that Bryant was their desired target. It was questionable whether they would spend as much as it took to get it, but owner Dick Monfort signed a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $26 million to bring in one of the game’s most recognizable stars.
Bryant certainly earned that notoriety during his time with the Cubs. The second overall pick in the 2013 draft, he immediately entered the pro ball as one of the top prospects. Bryant lived up to those expectations by breaking through the minors for a season and a half. The Cubs delayed his major league debut for a few weeks in the 2015 season to push back his path to free agency for a season, but he debuted in mid-April and immediately hit the ground running as a star.
The University of San Diego product hit .275/.369/.488 with 26 homers in his first season, earning the National League Rookie of the Year award. Bryant made a slightly disturbing clip that year, but he improved his contacts greatly in his sophomore year. The star third baseman hit .292/.385/.554 in 2016 to win the NL MVP title and help the Cubs to 103 wins in a season and their first World Series title in 108 years.
Chicago never became the long-term dynasty that some fans expected, but Bryant continued to excel on generally good teams over the next few seasons. He hit a combined 0.284 / 0.390 / 0.511 between 2017 and 2019, ranking 17th among players with positions in FanGraphs Wins Above Replace during that span. Bryant appeared to be on track for a free agent mega deal, but his performance has plummeted in 2020. During that year’s shortened season, he posted a modest .206/.293/.351 streak in 34 games. What kind of production the Cubs could expect from him, as well as how his free-agent market might eventually shake up, seemed to be very up in the air in 2021.
Not all.