MESA, Ariz. – Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant on Saturday pointed out that the Cubs could keep their entire All-Star core together beyond arbitration years, “if they want to.”
“There’s certainly money out there. It’s a very profitable game,” he said.
Then the reality check walked into the clubhouse Sunday morning in the form of shortstop Javy Baez, the All-Star the Cubs have worked hardest this winter to extend – a power-hitting, glam-fielding reminder of how the business side of baseball is played in the age of luxury taxes and Mookie Betts salary dumps.
In the Cubs’ case, it’s a reminder that an elite-revenue team with a TV network launching next week is essentially making a choice between keeping a 2016 MVP in Bryant or a 2018 MVP runner-up in Baez – assuming it has the chops to get either one to agree to an extension.