Kris Bryant won’t get his year back from the Cubs, but the 2016 MVP won’t get bitter about losing his grievance hearing against the Cubs over service-time manipulation, either, a source from Bryant’s camp said Wednesday after the ruling was publicized.
“Kris is fine,” the source said. “[He’s] focused on his workouts and preseason prep.
“Kris harbors no ill will whatsoever.”
The arbitrator’s decision, which preserves the Cubs’ remaining two years of club control over Bryant, surprised no one.
The case brought by the players union was considered a long shot even if Bryant was ideal subject to test teams’ longstanding practice of manipulating service-time of their best players to assure additional seasons of club control.
In Bryant’s case, that meant sending him back to the minors to start 2015 — despite the most productive spring training in the majors that year — and waiting 12 days after the season started to call him up for a big-league debut.
He went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award but missed qualifying for a full season of service time by one day — which meant six additional years before he would qualify for free agency.
If there was a surprise in the verdict it was only in how long it took to be rendered after the October hearing.
“I think it’s important to respect the process. It’s a significant case for the industry. There’s a lot riding on it,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said during Cubs Convention. “And it’s important to Kris, obviously.”
The team did not immediately comment on the outcome Wednesday.
The more immediate impact would seem to be the certainty the decision provides in trade scenarios involving Bryant, who avoided arbitration with a one-year, $18.6 million deal earlier this month.
Team and industry sources have downplayed the significance of the grievance decision — and even the delay in a decision — in the ability to make a trade, if only because of the widespread belief that the Cubs and Major League Baseball would prevail.
He is expected be available throughout the spring in trade talks as the Cubs look to add prospects and find a way to move salary off a payroll that’s already strained to its budget limit.
