Chicago Cubs: 3 under-the-radar Kris Bryant trades to explore
By Ryan Heckman
The Chicago Cubs could trade Kris Bryant to the Philadelphia Phillies
Probably the number one rumored team to be in on Bryant is the New York Mets. In that same division, the Philadelphia Phillies are just a couple of games back at the moment. Philadelphia happens to have one thing no other team has: one of Bryant’s best friends, outfielder Bryce Harper. Do not underestimate this fact.
The Phillies also happen to have a need to add to their outfield. According to a recent report, the Phillies have interest in the Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton for help in the outfield. Minnesota is probably not going to deal Buxton, but the Phillies have made it known that they would be first in line to bid if he hit the block. Instead of Buxton, the Phillies could go after Bryant.
In this deal, the Cubs would fetch the Phillies’ no. 6 overall prospect in shortstop Casey Martin, their no. 10 prospect, righty Adonis Medina, and their no. 17 prospect, catcher Rodolfo Duran.
Martin, specifically, has spent time with a pair of teams this year. Before moving to Jersey Shore from Clearwater, Martin was slashing .278/.360/.404. Since joining Jersey Shore, he’s seen a drop in numbers. However, Martin still offers potential at the plate and brings a possible future shortstop to Chicago.
Do not overlook the Phillies when it comes to Bryant. Both he and Harper share the same agent, Scott Boras. It’s been the plan for Bryant to hit free agency in 2022, but the Phillies could always decide to enter the sweepstakes. They would be tying up hundreds of millions of dollars into just two players, but the possibility of winning for years to come would be worth it.