With Jake Arrieta departing the Chicago Cubs – eventually – the team is going to need a new representative to the MLB Players Association. And from the sound of things, Kris Bryant wants the job.
“This offseason is one that really opened my eyes,” Bryant told the Sun-Times. “But now it is. I need to study up, have my voice heard, continue to learn, because this is going to affect us for years to come. And I’d be foolish not to kind of offer myself out there.”
The union decision will be made this month, and given Bryant’s gravitas and unique experience dealing with service time issues, he seems like as logical a candidate as any to represent the Cubs.
“I think with this next [Collective Bargaining Agreement] things are definitely going to change,” Bryant went on, “and there’ll definitely be more fight on our side just because we’re going to get the chance to experience the effects of some of the things we agreed to.”
It’s no surprise that sabers are already rattling about a CBA that doesn’t expire until after the 2021 season, given how things have gone this offseason. It’s also interesting to note that 2021 is the final year of Cubs team control over Bryant, who will have all the more reason to want to see that the next CBA is more player-friendly.
There’s much more in the Sun-Times piece, including Bryant’s thoughts on how the last CBA may have gone wrong for the players, and thoughts from Jeff Samardzija on the state of spending around the game.