Kris Bryant loses grievance, could Atlanta Braves trade for him now

After waiting almost all offseason to find out, the Atlanta Braves and other teams now know the future for third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant.

It was announced Wednesday morning that Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant lost his grievance and will be under team control for two more seasons. Now the Atlanta Braves and other teams hoping to trade for him have some clarity.

We all knew Bryant was most likely going to lose his grievance, but for whatever reason, it took them almost three months to come to that conclusion.

Bryant has been rumored in trade speculation all offseason, but nothing could really happen until this grievance issue was taken care of.

Now that it has, you have to imagine that trade talks will pick up in the coming weeks before Spring Training.

With the Braves already signing their big bat in Marcell Ozuna to replace Josh Donaldson, and their payroll already being at an all-time high around $150 million, I kind of doubt Atlanta will make a big push for Bryant.

Plus, when you consider that the asking price from the Cubs has been astronomically high in the past, and Alex Anthopoulos’ unwillingness to move top prospects, a deal seems even more unlikely.

Some have suggested the Cubs may want Max Fried in a trade, which isn’t happening. While another report states they would want three of Ian Anderson, Austin Riley, Drew Waters, and Kyle Wright.

As much as I’d love to have Bryant on the Braves, I’m not sure I would be willing to give up that much for him.

If I were the Braves I’d offer up Riley, Wright, and Patrick Weigel. Or I would even do Waters, Wright, and Weigel.

Bryant is easily a 4-5 WAR player when healthy, and he would undoubtedly make a huge difference in this lineup. And he would definitely be an upgrade over Rile and Johan Camargo at third base.

Atlanta’s window to win a World Series is now, so making a move for Bryant who has two years of control left is not short-sighted. It’s the type of move you make when you’re ready to go for it all.

Money might become a factor as Bryant is owed $18 million in 2020, which would put the Braves payroll around $168 million.

But again, at some point a move like this will have to be made if the Braves are going to contend for a World Series.

I still think it’s highly unlikely, and I think the Cubs go into the season with Bryant on the team and see if they can win. If they don’t feel they’re a World Series caliber team come July, then that’s when Bryant will be dealt. And perhaps that’s when the Braves get more aggressive.