It’s probably best to forget about Kris Bryant‘s extraordinary first three years in the big leagues, when he captured a Rookie of the Year Award in 2015, was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 2016 and boasted a .946 OPS in 2017. We might never see that guy again, and that’s OK. The current version of Kris Bryant — a man who hits for power, takes his walks and can cover up to five positions — is pretty good, too.
Eliminate the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, when star players throughout the league struggled to adapt to a completely different environment, and Bryant has finished every season with an OPS of at least .834. In all but one of them, he played in more than 140 games. From 2018 to 2021, Bryant accumulated 11.1 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Thirty-nine position players did better, but only two — Freddie Freeman and Trevor Story — are free agents.
Bryant isn’t perfect, but he can make any team significantly better. His defense isn’t great at any one position, but his skill set is enough to at least make him passable at all of them. He’s about to venture into his 30s, but the relatively short length on his next contract — ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicted five years at a total of $90 million — could mitigate some of the back-end concern.
Bryant bounced back nicely in 2021. He batted .265/.353/.481, made his fourth All-Star team, was worth 3.6 FanGraphs WAR and started at least 10 games at five different positions (first base, third base, left field, center field and right field, plus he even made one late-game appearance at shortstop). When Major League Baseball’s offseason resumes, Bryant, who turns 30 next month, will become one of the sport’s most coveted players available. And his versatility opens a plethora of options. Below is a look at five teams that seemingly make the most sense.
Source: www.espn.com