A Majors Issue

One of the biggest stories currently in baseball is a man named Kris Bryant.  Bryant is a 3^rd base prospect for the Chicago Cubs.  He is an integral part of Chicago’s future.  Bryant was the 2^nd overall pick in 2013 and is currently tearing up spring training.  As of March 27, he leads all of spring training with nine 9 homeruns.  Logic would dictate that a player with the most homeruns in spring would make the opening day roster.   Historically, that has been the case.  However, that might not be the case for Bryant.

The issue obviously is not with Bryant’s batting capabilities.  He has repeatedly shown throughout the minors and this spring that he can flat out hit.  Last year between AA and AAA, Bryant hit .325 with 43 homeruns and 110 RBIs.  The reason Kris Bryant may start this year in the minors has to do with business.  An average baseball season takes 183 days and if a player is on the roster for at least 172 of those days, it is a full year.  When a player has reached 6 full years, they are eligible for free agency. If Chicago were to bring Bryant up to start the year in the majors, that would start his major league service time immediately and he could be eligible to be a free agent after the 2020 season.  However, if they were to keep him in the minors for 12 days, he would not reach 172 days on the major league roster this year and the Cubs would have a 7^th year of control of Bryant.

So the major debate is whether the Cubs should keep Bryant on the opening day roster and let him play or send him to the minors for 12 days and have him for an extra year.  Bryant’s agent Scott Boras believes Bryant has more than shown that he is ready to play and Boras is not happy with the idea of Bryant being sent to the minors.  I think Boras has a point.  Bryant is certainly ready to contribute to a major league team and the Cubs would definitely benefit this year from him being on the team.   And Boras is doing the right thing.  His job is to represent his player and the player’s best interests.  It would certainly be in Bryant’s best interests to start the year in the majors.  He is a baseball player.  He wants to play.  He is ready to play.  Also, if he desired to sign a big contract one day, he could possibly do that one year sooner.

However, I would have to side with the Cubs management on this issue.  When it comes down to it, whether you like it or not, baseball is a business and business decisions must be made.  As mentioned, Bryant’s agent is Scott Boras.  Generally, Boras’ clients do not sign extensions before they reach free agency.  And when they reach free agency, they sign huge contracts.  So, for Chicago to delay Bryant’s free agency by a year makes great sense for them.  Bryant is going to be a major piece if they Cubs are going to try to turn their franchise around.  It makes sense to keep him around as long as possible.   And there really isn’t any harm in sending him down.  Essentially, Bryant would miss 9 games at the  beginning of the year.  It is not as if those 9 games would make or break the Cubs season.  They have too many young hitters this year who have yet to prove themselves.  Yes, the Cubs have great potential, but at this point it is only potential.  There is no guarantee all these players have good years.  They are young and need to learn.  It is generally thought, outside Chicago, that the Cubs are a year or two away from being competitive.  So if the Cubs most likely will not be in a playoff race this year, would it not be better to sacrifice 9 games this year, for a whole year in the future when they might actually need him for a playoff race? I think so.

Plus, teams make business decisions all the time.  Players with minor league options get sent down over players who are out of options.  Some players start simply because a team has made a financial commitment to them.  Some players are not resigned because they have reached the point where they will make too much money for it to be worth it to the team.  Baseball is a business and sometimes business decisions have to be made. 

All that being said, I do not like this service time rule.  It is inhibiting a player who is clearly ready for the major leagues.  If a player has proven they are good enough to contribute at the major league level and there is a spot for them on the roster, then that player should be allowed to play.  Plain and simple.   A player should not be penalized playing time because a team wants to keep them another year.  However in the baseball world we live in, this rule is in place and decisions must be made because of it.  And I believe if the Cubs keep Bryant in the minors for 12 days that is the right decision to make. It is unfortunate but that’s the way it is right now.  So despite the spectacular spring Kris Bryant is having, he will most likely not make the opening day roster.  But there is every indication he will be ready for the majors when he makes it there.