Kris Bryant trade speculation: Diamondbacks among top landing spots for Chicago Cubs star

Jeremy Cluff | The Republic | azcentral.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks could be a potential landing spot for Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant, should he be traded, one baseball writer wrote.

CBS Sports' Matt Snyder took a look at potential trade partners with the Cubs for Bryant and ranked Arizona No. 6.

He had Arizona among seven teams in a "Would be in, if things break right" category.

Snyder wrote: "The D-Backs have some room to make serious noise this offseason. They have the prospect and financial wherewithal to get a deal done for Bryant. This would require Eduardo Escobar moving to second base, which is fine, or Bryant playing right field (again, this is fine). The question here is: After letting A.J. Pollock walk and trading Paul Goldschmidt last offseason in addition to trading Zack Greinke in July, do the D-Backs really want to be so aggressive for two expensive years of Bryant right now? I can see arguments for both sides."

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According to projections, Bryant is expected to make around $18.5 million next season.

He could potentially become a free agent after next season, should he win a grievance. If not, he would be a free agent after the 2021 season.

The Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers are the other top landing spots for Bryant in a trade, according to Snyder.

Bryant was the 2016 NL MVP and is a three-time All-Star. He hit .282 last season, with 31 home runs and 77 RBIs.

In his five-year career, he has bat .284 with 138 home runs and 403 RBIs.

At the MLB General Manager meetings in Arizona earlier this month, the Cubs let teams know that they are willing to make trades.

USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale wrote: "The Cubs, who have not won a postseason game since 2017, have let teams know that they are open for business. They will listen to offers on everyone from infielder Kris Bryant and Javy Baez to catcher Willson Contreras to outfielder Kyle Schwarber."

“This was coming,’’ Cubs president Theo Epstein told reporters at the meetings in Scottsdale. “It’s not like it was going to be one generation of players and that’s it. We knew, when a lot of our best players were cost controlled, those were the years we could squeeze the most amount of talent on the roster, and there would be difficult decisions and change ahead at some point. “We’re just rapidly approaching that time, that’s all.”

Bryant is no stranger to Arizona, having played in spring training in Mesa for the Cubs throughout his career.

After his rookie of the year season, Bryant hilariously posed as a European transfer coming to challenge for a spot in the Mesa Community College lineup in the middle of the season.