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Nationals are among teams interested in Cubs third baseman Kris bryant, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). There are sure to be plenty of other contenders for the former NL MVP, who could become the best traded player in the next couple of weeks.
Indeed, the Nats are not the only team in the NL East to consider an acquisition of Bryant. The division-leading Mets were linked with the four-time All-Star last night. At first glance, New York appears to be a more obvious deadline buyer than Washington, who enters tonight’s game 42-47. In fact, Bryant’s current club are actually a game and a half above the Nats in the Wild Card race.
That said, the Nationals haven’t been shy about trying to make a playoff push when the opportunity presents itself under general manager Mike Rizzo. They are six games away from the Mets (albeit with the Phillies and Braves also ahead of them) in a division where no team has separated from the field. Washington has a tough three-game streak against the Padres this weekend, but that’s followed by dates with the Marlins and Orioles next week, which could give them the opportunity to regain some ground in the standings.
If the Nationals are looking to add to the big league roster in the coming weeks, third base is an obvious area to upgrade. Washington achieved below-average production (0.280 / 0.333 / 0.369) in the Hot Corner during the year, where nearly all of the playing time was spent on Starlin castro. Castro was put on administrative leave this afternoon as Major League Baseball investigates the domestic violence allegations made against him. Jordy Mercier started on third base tonight in Washington’s opener after the all-star break.
Bryant, of course, would be an improvement over most teams’ third base situations. The 29-year-old rebounded from a poor 2020 campaign to reach an excellent level of .271 / .353 / .502 with sixteen homers in 329 appearances at home plate. He’s in slow motion after a scorching start to the year, but Bryant’s body of work is some of the best in the sport.
Of the 231 batters to have more than 200 home plate appearances in 2021, Bryant is tied for 40th with a 132 wRC +. Compared to last season, he walks more walks, hits less often and has a higher rate of hard contacts. Bryant did not regain the MVP caliber form he showed early in his career, but his All-Star selection in 2021 was certainly deserved.
The general expectation is that Bryant will find himself on the move by the July 30 trade deadline. Cubs president Jed Hoyer suggested last week that the team would listen to offers from Big League players following an 11-game losing streak. They exchanged acrobat Pederson game aux Braves – a team the Cubs ostensibly compete with for a Wild Card spot – for first base prospect Bryce Ball last night. And while Chicago reportedly intend to engage in extension talks with the first baseman Antoine Rizzo and shortstop Javier Baez before the trade deadline, there is no indication that this is the case with Bryant.
One potential obstacle to a trade with Bryant is the salary. He signed a $ 19.5 million deal to avoid arbitrage over the winter, of which about $ 8.3 million remains to be paid. The Nationals generally have an above-average payroll, and their estimated $ 183 million (per Cot’s baseball contracts) figure for this season is about $ 14 million less than the franchise’s spending in 2019. This could suggest that there is room on the books for Bryant, although it remains to be seen whether the property is keen to make such an investment in a team that came into play tonight with a meager chance of. 2.8% make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs estimate.
The other significant potential hurdle to a deal that sends Bryant to the nation’s capital is the Nationals’ thin farm system. Granted, every team in the league could put together a sufficient prospect package to land Bryant, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. But Heyman hears the Nats don’t want to trade their two best prospects, right-handed pitchers Cavalli Falls and Jackson rutledge.
If so, it might be difficult for the Nationals to beat the market for Bryant. infielder Yasel Antuna is the only other player in the system to achieve a rating of 45 FV or better from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein, and he reached .191 / .269 .347 in High-A this year. First round pick Brady House will certainly climb near the top of the organizational rankings once he signs a pro contract, but the 2021 rookies cannot be traded until the next offseason. Maybe the Cubs would be interested in the old best prospect Carter Kieboom, but his stock has faded amid some struggles at the big league level and he is currently on the minor league injured list with a knee issue.
It stands to reason that more teams will join the Nationals and Mets as having signaled their interest in Bryant in the coming weeks. The Cubs look set to be one of the most active sellers on the deadline, and Bryant’s list of production and laundry accolades will make him perhaps the most prominent player in the trading market.
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