CHICAGO _ Kris Bryant's future with the Cubs could hinge on the outcome of a hearing this week on his grievance over service time.
A source confirmed Wednesday that Bryant is alleging the Cubs in 2015 manipulated his potential free agency when they promoted him from Triple-A Iowa one day after he would have qualified for a full year of service time, which would have allowed him to become a free agent after the 2020 season.
The decision could have immediate ramifications for the Cubs, who likely will try to reach a long-term deal with Bryant and eliminate the risk of losing him to free agency, and other teams with players whose free agency was delayed because their service-time clock started shortly after the deadline.
The Cubs promoted Bryant on April 17, 2015 _ one day after Mike Olt was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right wrist. Olt suffered the injury five days earlier on a hit by pitch but played two games before the fracture was revealed.
Bryant is under team control (through arbitration) through the 2021 season. But Cubs President Theo Epstein, in a news conference 3 { weeks ago, acknowledged that no player on the roster is untouchable and said the team must be open-minded about sustaining long-term success with several elite players eligible for free agency after the 2021 season.
Bryant, 27, is a career .284 hitter with 138 home runs, 403 RBIs, a .385 on-base percentage and .516 slugging percentage in five seasons. He was the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and the 2016 NL MVP and is a three-time All-Star.
The players association filed the grievance on Bryant's behalf. The hearing was first reported by David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago.
