Whether you look at it as nearly three months or five years, Kris Bryant’s service-time grievance has been an omnipresent asterisk on the Cubs’ operations. They were able to push it back like student loan deferments for several years and now may be dragging their feet of late when it comes to making the first payment. Or maybe it’s Bryant’s side drawing things out. Lord knows MLB might also being slowing it up, as this matter is a big one for the league as a whole.
Whatever the case, it’s very clear that this process is taking much longer than the standard process, which is allowed under the current CBA so long as both sides are okay with the timeline.