The Anthony Rizzo trade hurt, like to the core, it hurt. Whether you understand what is going on or not, or for whatever reason you have – it sucked. There were many more “baseball reasons” to move Rizzo than there was to move Kris Bryant, but here we are.
Bryant to SF, source tells, ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2021
Rizzo was the emotional teardown of the Chicago Cubs organization, the trade of Kris Bryant was the end of the Chicago Cubs window.
Rizzo was the first piece of the Cubs rebuild. He was the character guy, the emotional and vocal leader. The guy that pulled the prank at the right time to relax the club in stressful situations. The guy that would swing a teammate’s bat to get out of a funk. That is who he was for the Cubs.
Kris Bryant was the best player the franchise has seen since Ernie Banks did it from 1953 through 1971. He was the most valuable player on the team when they were at their best. A guy that went out and played six different positions, even with superstar status. An incredibly selfless player that put everything on the line for the team and the boys in the clubhouse.
Throughout his Cubs career, Bryant hit .279/.378/.508 with 160 homers, 136 wRC+, and a 31.1 fWAR. He, like Rizzo, deserved a better exit from the only franchise he knew. While I don’t believe there will be a reunion between Bryant and the Cubs, I certainly hope to one day let him know how much he was adored here and how much I personally appreciated what he gave to this team. However, I’m sure that word has gotten back to him.
Here is the return for Bryant.
Caleb Killian and Alexander Canario https://t.co/q7q8reJ8hB
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 30, 2021
