Kris Bryant Wants People to Stop Making Assumptions About His Future Because of His Agent
The Compound podcast is always a good listen, but if you haven’t been catching them all, you’re definitely going to want to check out the latest. Kris Bryant makes an appearance and opens up about his relationship with the Cubs, his thoughts on the future, and his desire to stick around.
When it comes to the rumors that Bryant won’t sign an extension or wants to hit free agency or whatever – Bryant just wants you to listen to his own words:
On Episode 21 of The Compound presented by @ParceRum @KrisBryant_23 loves playing in Chicago listen here➡️https://t.co/z6FHANyk1j pic.twitter.com/U5V1dBeolu
— Ian Happ (@ihapp_1) July 21, 2020
“[People talk like] I’m upset here or like I don’t want to be in Chicago. Like, ‘He just wants to leave in free agency or whatever.’ When have I ever said that? I have nothing but great things to say about everybody in this organization and field and city. Where is all this coming from?”
It’s long been presumed that Bryant would not extend with the Cubs, and would instead hit free agency. There are reasons for that presumption, from Bryant’s high career earnings to his agent (Scott Boras) to his service time grievance and on and on. But let’s be clear: it was always only a presumption. That message never came from Bryant, himself, who has actually aggressively pushed back against it going all the way back to his arrival at Spring Training this year.
In the podcast, Bryant really took issue with anyone making assumptions based on his agent.
“I think a lot of [the belief that I want to leave] comes from Scott Boras being my agent and, oh, he always wants the most money. Listen, I’ve always had conversations with Scott and he’s like, ‘I want to do exactly what is right for you and your family. I don’t need to do this for you, I don’t need to do that for you. If you want to stay in Chicago, that’s a very real option for you.’
“Scott, he has this big name, but he does what his clients want him to do, and he always fights for his clients. I understand some of the hate for him because he always fights for his dudes like they’re his own children. Which is what you want from your agent, but at the same time, it’s like, just because my agent is Scott Boras doesn’t mean I’m some greedy … I’ve never been described as greedy.”
It’s not as if big name Scott Boras clients have never signed extensions. And it’s also not as if Bryant didn’t recently concede that the way this year has played out does impact a guy’s thinking on what he wants to do with his future.
I’ll admit that I was someone who presumed Bryant was not going to extend with the Cubs. I didn’t base that so much on any reports and rumors out there, but instead just based on the idea that those kinds of massive extensions for guys, like Bryant, who’ve (1) made a lot of money in their career and (2) have shown a penchant for caring about moving the ball forward for other players when it comes to contracts, tend to be unlikely. Moreover, this Cubs front office hasn’t exactly nailed down a lot of major extensions, so it was reasonable to presume a deal wouldn’t get done.
But the more Bryant pushes back against the idea, and the more the circumstances of the sport and the financial landscape change, I get the teeniest bit more optimistic that maybe the sides could (next year?) work out a deal that keeps Bryant around beyond 2021. I’d sure love to see it.
I’d also love to see the whole group stay together:
Kris Bryant Wants to Keep the Core Together Until “We’re Old and Fat and Tired” https://t.co/nbDb3ofMZ5 pic.twitter.com/YVdx42gd5U
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 7, 2020
