Chicago Cubs: Three Kris Bryant trades post Mookie Betts deal
By Ryan Sikes
The Braves lost out on the Josh Donaldson sweepstakes and a trade for Bryant makes too much sense.
The Atlanta Braves are a bit thin at the third base position after Josh Donaldson accepted a four-year deal with the Minnesota Twins a couple of weeks ago. They still have Austin Riley, but the 22-year-old struggled mightily last year. Johan Camargo is penciled in as the starter, but he, too, posted unimpressive numbers in 2019.
Bryant was previously linked to the Braves earlier this offseason, and the Cubs reportedly asked for a few prospects. At the time, Bryant’s grievance hearing results were still unknown, so a trade did not make a lot of sense. However, what it did do, is provide the Braves with some insight on what the Cubs’ front office has in mind for what they would like.
The Braves are on the cusp of being a World Series contender for the foreseeable future, and with the Dodgers acquiring Betts for this season, a sense of urgency could be had to keep pace for lack of a better term.
I have the Cubs acquiring starting pitchers Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright in the deal. Both players are ranked within MLB’s Top 100 prospects. Anderson is ranked as the 31st best prospect and the ninth-best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball. He posted a combined 3.38 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A last year in 26 starts, recording 172 strikeouts in 135.2 innings of work.
Anderson struggled a bit in five starts with the Triple-A club but has the chance for a fresh start this season. He’s projected to be big-league ready at some point later in the year.
Wright, 24, was the fifth overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt. He posted a 4.17 ERA in 21 starts for the Braves’ Triple-A outfit last year while striking out 116 batters in 112.1 innings. The Cubs are desperate for pitching help with both Jon Lester and Jose Quintana set to hit the free-agent market after the 2020 season, so this trade makes sense from that standpoint.
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The Braves’ payroll currently stands at approximately $157 million, so they have the financial flexibility to give Bryant an extension to his liking.