Bryant: “The only person’s opinion that matters here is mine.” Wants to be a Cub, No Hard Feelings, Sign this Man NOW

Saturday morning, Chicago Cubs third baseman destroyed all the rumors, all the fears, all the narratives in a 35-minute press conference. In 35-minutes he spat more truth than David Kaplan has in the past eight years. Whether you thought he had bad feelings towards the Cubs – Bryant proved it wrong. If you thought he wanted out – he proved you wrong. If you thought he turned down a contract worth well north of $200 million – he proved you wrong.

While he slashed every narrative in his press conference, he did so in with professionalism and more emotion than we may have ever seen Bryant display. He emphatically told those who have spoken out against him that they are wrong, and reminded us all that the only thing that matters is what comes from his mouth. He lamented the fact that there are no grudges.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous seeing things like that,” Bryant said. “That’s not who I am. I don’t believe in holding grudges. There are no hard feelings whatsoever. I completely respect this organization and what they’ve done for me and my family. I just saw this as a process that’s going to help the players in the next round of negotiating. It was important for me to stand up for what I believe in and what players believe in.”

With the conclusion of the labor grievance, many fans have held onto this narrative that Bryant is upset at the team. They have believed that he held bad feelings towards the club for years, and this would be a driving force for him to leave after the 2021 season. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I definitely saw a lot of things out there saying I had ill will toward the team,” Bryant said. “Then there was one saying there was no ill will. I said to myself, ‘Where are we getting this from?’ The only person’s opinion that matters here is mine. I am right here talking into this microphone saying there are no hard feelings whatsoever. I completely respect this organization, and they have given me an opportunity to play the game I love. I just saw this as something that will help the players in the next round of negotiating. I was going to be that guy who had the courage to do it.”

This is a sentiment that I have written about on this blog in the past. This was always about Bryant helping the MLBPA more than it was about himself, and while gaining a year of service time was attractive, it was a battle that would likely turn out as it did.

“I knew it was an uphill battle going into it,” Bryant said. “We had a disagreement. We handled it respectfully, and so did the Cubs. It was something I really believed in. My parents taught me to always stand up for what you believe in. I was going to see the process through. No hard feelings, and there is respect on both ends.”

This is something that was echoed by Theo Epstein just days before.

“I’ve had a good text exchange with KB, checking in here recently, and whether it’s the trade rumors or the grievance matter, there are no hard feelings on either side,” Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, said Tuesday. “He’s excited to report to camp later this week. He’s excited for the 2020 season… He’s looking forward to getting started and continue what’s been a great relationship.”

Why can’t someone fight for something they believe in, and continue to be grownup about the outcome – even if it didn’t turn out the way they wanted? This isn’t the current political environment, people on both sides can fight for something that they believe is right and continue to have respect and even love for one another after the fact. As for the Cubs? They encourage their players to do what they believe is right and supported Bryant through the grievance.

“All along, my view of the grievance has been that it was a byproduct of the business elements of the game. It was something that wasn’t our process, but something that we would participate in as requested and be respectful of,” Esptein said. “I admire players who, at the appropriate time, are willing to stand up and assert their rights. I don’t ever want players who bite their tongue and feel like they got jaded or feel like their rights were infringed upon.” 

The grievance, the rumors, and everything in-between, Kris Bryant still wants to be a Cub and wants to be here for the long haul.

“I’ve have always had the stance that, ‘Yes, I want to play here. I love the city,'” Bryant said. “The biggest thing about the trade rumors that has disappointed me is that people said, ‘Let’s get rid of him now because he doesn’t want to be here in two years. He turned down this monster extension well north of $200 million.’ I am like, where was that? I never saw that… rumors, sources, people saying these things. The only thing that matters is what comes from my mouth. Never once have I said I don’t want to play here. We have it so good here. Of course I want to play here.”

What I have learned from writing in blogs since 2012 is, the second story is never remembered. Kaplan put it out there about this time last year that Bryant turned down a contract extension worth well north of $200 million. At that time I, as well as many other Cubs beat reporters, said that the rumor was simply not true. The pressure was put on Kaplan in the coming days and weeks until he finally admitted that he was just guessing at what the numbers of a rejected deal would be. But it turns out, Bryant has never even seen a deal.

The retraction hasn’t changed the narrative with Bryant. Log on to Twitter or Facebook tomorrow and fans will say that Bryant is greedy and turned down a $200 million deal. Even though the creator of the rumor told us it wasn’t accurate and Bryant himself has told the world he’s never seen that deal. And if I am being honest, it seemed (only judging the infliction in his voice) that he would accept a deal in that range.

It isn’t outside the realm of possibility with Bryant either. He is a Scott Boras client and another Boras client, Xander Bogaerts signed an extension that was below market value. Stephen Strasburg, also represented by Boras, signed an extension with the Washington Nationals in 2016. While he did opt out after last season, he returned to the Nationals on a seven-year deal. Notably, Strasburg became the first pitcher to ever return to his original team and signing a contract worth more than $100 million after electing to go to free agency.

The Boras connection means virtually nothing. Sure, a lot of his players go to free agency, but so do nearly every other agent’s players in the game. This isn’t a unique thing to Boras, but since he is the loudest agent he’s the one fans point the finger towards.

Over the years we have heard Bryant tell the media that Boras works for him. When Bryant tells you that the only opinion that matters in terms of Kris Bryant business is his own, that also includes Boras. Bryant runs his show, he ran the grievance, he has run his career, and he will continue to run any future extension talks. He wants to be a Chicago Cub, he wants to end his career as a Chicago Cub. He does want a fair deal, and he deserves that.

But, the Cubs have to come to the table. Thus far, we have more evidence that the Cubs are shorting their stars in these negotiations which have led them to the place of only signing Kyle Hendricks and David Bote to extensions.

During the press conference, Bryant mentioned that he would like to be in the loop on things. Of course, a player would like to know what is going on, after all, we are talking about their livelihood and where his family will live for half a year.

“I would like one,” Bryant said. “I guess I would like to be in the loop a little bit, and it’s safe to say they obviously don’t have to keep me in the loop by any means. I feel like I’ve earned a little respect here. I don’t want it to be a distraction. I’ve always wanted to go with the flow and be here and be present and not be the guy that distracts people. But I can’t control any of it.”

This is a man who is about to start a family. He has a child on the way, he has concerns that not everyone has. What doctors will they use, is his wife going to be with him during the season or back home in Las Vegas? If they are adding the additional layer of, ‘where will Bryant play?’ of course it makes sense that he is uneasy about all of this. While he doesn’t necessarily need to be in the loop, where he is at in his life it makes sense to want to know.

This could lead to questions of where his head is at. Something that Theo shot down when he recently commented that they don’t have to worry about where Bryant is mentally. He is a professional, he doesn’t let these things get under his skin and certainly isn’t crying over spilled milk.

This is why the Cubs absolutely need to sit down and have serious conversations on an extension. This is the guy that the Cubs drafted. They lauded over his professionalism. They bragged that he was the right kind of guy, a good guy with a strong character. He has turned out to not only be a great guy but the best player on the Cubs roster. How in the world is it even a question on trying to do whatever it takes to re-sign him?

I do understand some fan’s concerns with Bryant’s health. While I will tell you that up until the 2018 season, Bryant had never missed a game in his life because of injury. I will also say that he played through a very bad shoulder and knee injury in the past two years, so this isn’t a “soft” player by any means. As a player gets old he is more susceptible to injury and an extension would presumably take Bryant into his age 36-37 season. If the Cubs are paying Bryant between $28 and $32 million a year, that is a tough pill to swallow if he is on the IL.

But injuries can happen to anyone at any time and when a player doesn’t have a track record of injury, it shouldn’t be a deciding factor in contract negotiations. Of course, saying that I am knowingly saying the Cubs have to consider his 2018 into what he is worth. We can argue till we’re blue in the face on how much of his 2018 was because of injury and how much was results you need to consider. It should be low on the list of things either the Cubs or Boras discusses in a contract, but it should be brought up.

But ultimately, like I have never wavered from and will never apologize for – Kris Bryant is the best player in the organization and it isn’t particularly close. Sign this man for as long as you can. The moment the Cubs drafted him is the moment they won the 2016 World Series. The moment that they can sign him to a long-term extension is the moment they remain viable for as long as that contract is. His remarks today should cement his place in the Cubs organization, it should cement his place as a leader for the players, and it should cement his place in the Cubs fans world.

Get this deal done Cubs. Get this done.