Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer said that he is open to sign Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez this upcoming winter.
An 11-game losing streak prior to the All-Star break put an end to the Chicago Cubs going on one last run with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, all of whom are set to become free agents this winter. Cubs president Jed Hoyer opted to trade all three in the span of 24 hours to get some sort of return for each of them before they hit the open market.
After the trade deadline, Hoyer noted that he is open to negotiating with those three players this upcoming winter, and he told each of them that. The quote is courtesy of Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
Cubs: Jed Hoyer open to signing Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez as free agents
So, you’re telling Cubs fans there’s a chance?
Entering the season, baseball fans knew that it was potentially the last hurrah with this core of Cubs players. While it did look like promising for the team at first, the lengthy losing streak ended any hopes of that, and Hoyer began trading players for assets.
Rizzo was traded to the Yankees on Thursday in exchange for outfielder Kevin Alcantara and right-handed pitcher Alexander Vizcaino. Baez was flipped to the New York Mets, along with right-hander Trevor Williams, in exchange for outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Finally, with the deadline less than 10 minutes away, Hoyer traded Bryant to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfielder Alexander Canario and right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian.
While it must be painful for Cubs fans seeing Rizzo, Bryant and Baez wearing different uniforms for the remainder of the 2021 campaign, you can never say never regarding a potential return to Chicago this offseason.