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Chicago Cubs: Long-Term Impact of Kris Bryant Signing

By Dan Schmelzer

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant warms up before game one of the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant warms up before game one of the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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What impact does Kris Bryant’s record signing with the Chicago Cubs have on the long-term?

The Chicago Cubs and National League MVP Kris Bryant agreed on a $1.05 million salary for the 2017 season. Obviously, the Cubs are getting incredible value on their young superstar, but that is the highest pre-arbitration deal for a second-year player of all-time.

Basically, the Cubs can pay Bryant whatever they want. They have to stay above the $535,000 league minimum, but they are not required to pay him a dime more than that. However, Bryant clearly deserves more and the Cubs are rewarding him for his stellar play.

It won’t be long before Bryant starts to make big-time money with the Cubs. So will this unprecedented bump in salary effect the long-term? It is impossible to say for sure, but the Cubs are clearly trying to reward Bryant and hopefully get some goodwill for paying him more than they need to.

Bryant is not making multi-millions of dollars yet. Giving him that extra money simply by choice is only going to help the long-term relationship. It will also be interesting to see how this affects Bryant’s arbitration years.

The Cubs’ slugger will hit arbitration for the first time next off season. His salary will then be determined by the arbitration process for the next four years. That is, of course, unless Bryant and the Cubs agree to a long-term extension. However, with Scott Boras as his agent, a long-term extension is unlikely.

Performance is obviously the number one indicator of how much a player makes in arbitration, but his previous year’s salary also heavily comes into play. The Cubs giving Bryant this record second-year deal is going to get him a lot of money in arbitration. If he continues to play at an MVP-caliber level, Bryant is extremely likely to break the arbitration records. The Cubs knew this, but they still gave Bryant the raise because he deserves.

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They also probably hope this helps them lock him up down the road.

It is impossible to say that this kind of move will help the Cubs when Bryant does eventually hit free agency, but it certainly does not hurt. The Cubs are doing business the right way and I imagine that a smart and humble guy like Bryant will appreciate it.

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