CHICAGO – Jed Hoyer plans to speak with Kris Bryant about his future during the preseason. And the Chicago Cubs’ top sports executive is contemplating similar conversations with Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo.
All three sluggers have contracts that will expire at the end of the season. At that time, free agents may be declared.
His stay in Chicago is anyone’s guess. The Cubs begin their preseason training this Wednesday.
“I would love to have that continuity with these guys,” Hoyer said Tuesday. “Financially, it is impossible for any team to have the ability to continue with that group.”
Chicago’s luxury payroll tax would have been $ 216 million last year if it had been contested all season. The figure would have been well above the limit to apply the tax for the second consecutive year.
Bryant, Báez and Rizzo helped Chicago win the 2016 World Series, snapping a title drought that dated back to 1908.
The Cubs finished first in the NL Central the previous season, reaching the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. However, they scored just one run in two games and were swept by the Miami Marlins in the wild card series.
Chicago hasn’t won a postseason series since 2017, when it was crowned in the National League. He has already begun a rebuilding of the team, and it is not clear how long the three biggest stars will remain in his ranks.
In particular, Bryant’s name has surfaced in trade rumors. Hoyer said the Cubs have had no recent conversations with other clubs.
“This year we were mentioned in a lot of rumors,” Hoyer said. “Some were absolutely inaccurate. And I would say that others were simply exaggerated about the seriousness of these conversations. “
However, he acknowledged that more changes are coming and that there is little chance of retaining Bryant, Rizzo and Baez. Bryant has a salary of $ 19.5 million, while Rizzo’s is at $ 16.5 million and Baez’s is $ 11.65 million.
“We have said all the time and very clearly that we would like to retain some of these players,” Hoyer stressed. “That would be wonderful. But it is unrealistic to think that we are going to keep all the players who were a significant part of 2016. That is a reality.
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