Atlanta Braves Trade Candidates: Kris Bryant

If the Chicago Cubs are willing to move on from Kris Bryant, should the Atlanta Braves consider making a move for the former MVP?

When the Chicago Cubs traded Yu Darvish to the Padres, many figured the Cubs may be looking to move other assets as well and teams like the Atlanta Braves could take advantage.

One player of interest to the Braves being the former Rookie of the Year and MVP, Kris Bryant.

Kris Bryant has one year of control left and is projected for approximately $20 million through arbitration in 2021. With the Cubs financial issues, and the need to rebuild/retool, the Cubs may look to get what they can for Bryant before he potentially leaves in free agency.

Atlanta has enjoyed success giving out one-year deals in the past few seasons and acquiring Bryant would be a similar situation.

However, would the Braves even be interested in Kris Bryant? He had a down season in 2020 thanks to some injury issues, which could be cause for concern. Plus, his Baseball Savant page is not a pretty sight.

One year of control remaining, the injury concerns, and disappointing metrics hurt Bryant’s overall value. This does not bode well for the Cubs trying to find a suitor for Bryant.

So, what exactly is Bryant’s value? According to some experts, little to no value at all.

Now Bryant is a former MVP, so there is some hope he could return to form.

Bryant does have the ability to play multiple positions, including third and the corner outfield spots. While not great defensively, he is a serviceable defender, when healthy, at each position.

This versatility on the defensive end could prove to be valuable for a team looking to acquire Bryant. This flexibility would allow the Braves to play Austin Riley at third with Bryant in the outfield (or vice versa).

However, what would a team, like Atlanta, really look to give up to acquire Bryant?

Potential Cost

It is important to note that ZIPS projects Bryant to put up a 3.9 fWAR over a full 2021 season. This would be a phenomenal bounce back, however, teams are not viewing Bryant as a 3 WAR player at the moment.

It may be difficult for the Cubs to get the return they would genuinely want for a player like Kris Bryant. Add in the financial concerns across baseball and the return gets even lower.

The Cubs originally may have looked to get a major league ready pitcher like Kyle Wright or Bryse Wilson. Even pitchers like Kyle Muller and Tucker Davidson may have been appealing.

The Cubs could also ask for Braves’ top prospect, Drew Waters, but it does not seem like the Braves would be willing to make that move. If the Cubs were willing to send a package of Kris Bryant and Ian Happ, then the Braves could maybe consider moving Drew Waters (and others) back to the Cubbies.

Shea Langeliers and William Contreras could also be intriguing to the Cubs, as Willson Conteras is also rumored to be in trade conversations.

The Cubs would love to grab a couple of Atlanta’s top prospects along with a few middle-tier prospects in a deal for Kris Bryant.

However, if most reports are accurate, and Bryant’s trade value is viewed as “little to no value,” then the best trade offer from the Braves that they may be able to get is something like Victor Vodnik and CJ Alexander.

Not sure if that would be enough for the Cubs to move on from Bryant.

The Cubs may not want to give up the former MVP for a small return. It may benefit them to wait until the trade deadline and hope he restores value. Maybe a desperate team, and in the midst of a championship push, would be willing to overpay.

If the Braves were to acquire Bryant, and he bounces back in 2021, they could create a scary lineup with Bryant in the middle of the order behind Freddie Freeman. Potentially add in a left-handed platoon bat with Austin Riley, and the Braves are looking at a deep lineup in this scenario.

The Kris Bryant saga will be an interesting one to keep an eye on. If Kris Bryant can bounce back to his old form, he could be a vital member of a team making a championship run.