He wanted to get more directly involved in the future of the game for his union brothers, and Kris Bryant has done it.
With Jake Arrieta departing the Cubs (yes, still very probably), the team needed a new Players Association representative, and the 26-year-old former Rookie of the Year and MVP is the one taking the gig, per Cubs.com.
“It’d be good to take more of a proactive approach as a player and voice our opinions more, so they’re heard,” Bryant told Cubs.com. “There are a lot of people who voice their opinions. If we can get more players to participate, it will make it better for ourselves and the players who come after us. That’s my whole purpose behind wanting to take it. It’s more of an active approach.”
That is certainly what you want to see from the game’s biggest stars at this juncture, having now seen just how poorly the players were served in the previous collective bargaining process. Whether they need a change in leadership at the national level is an open question (and after a tumultuous offseason, it sure feels like the answer is yes), but regardless of that, having the most visible and respected players taking an active role in the future of the entire group can only be a good thing for the sport in the long-term.
In his role as the Cubs’ representative, Cubs.com indicates, Bryant will be responsible for meeting with his teammates to help communicate on union issues, and also to represent his teammates when there are issues at the club level.