With all the unexpected rumors floating around out there in the Cubs world, I was beginning to get a little overwhelmed by the headlines lately.
Almost none of this is a lock, by any means, but here has been the Cubs offseason head lines/
1. Russell might be back.
2. Can’t sign Harper or Machado.
3. No extension for Joe.
4. Chili fired, new coaches needed
5. Kris Bryant available in trade.What the hell is going on?
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) November 9, 2018
And of course, this doesn’t even include the fact that the Cubs still need a backup hitting coach, a new pitching coach (probably), and have lost rising front office star Shiraz Rehman to the Rangers!
But like I said in that tweet, not all of those stories are necessarily true. Indeed, the most egregious rumor – the Cubs are considering trading Kris Bryant – has already been shot down by Theo Epstein, himself. In short: the Cubs will “listen” on anybody, but that doesn’t mean they’re actively pursuing a deal. Obviously.
And I’m glad to hear that. Kris Bryant is a supremely talented baseball player, the Cubs are in the middle of their competitive window, and there’s hardly a package that would make sense in return – especially after a down season (thanks to injuries) in 2018.
But besides ALL THOSE REASONS for not wanting the Cubs to move Bryant, I don’t think I would’ve been able to break it to his biggest fan ever:
That was first published a couple years ago – in the middle of Bryant’s 2016 MVP and the Cubs World Series campaign – so I can’t even imagine how big of a fan young Eli is now.
So you see, Mr. Epstein. You CAN’T trade Kris Bryant, unless you want to break this little fan’s heart. GOT IT?