This is what makes Kris Bryant such a coveted commodity in the retail market: Pretty much any individual competing team can look at Bryant and think, “Yes, we have a place for him!”
That’s rare in a positional player, but Bryant has all kinds of versatility. Basically he’s not a middle infielder or catcher, but that’s about it: This year alone he has 25 games on third base, 24 in right field, 19 in left field, 10 on first base and 10 in center field started. He’s not necessarily the gold glove type in every position, but he is certainly capable in every position, which offers great added value.
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And he doesn’t mind moving, even during the game. We’ve listed his total number of “games started,” but here is the total number of games he played in each position: 28 third, 28 right, 27 left, 12 first, and 14 center. It is every manager’s dream to play all queens with defensive positioning.
After that year he’s a free agent, which means he’s a landlord. For some teams, that’s bad. For some it is good. But if the goal is to get to October – or win a World Series – that’s a small detail, not an obstacle. This year it was great in April and May, then lousy in June. He averages .304 and .900 OPS in July.
Where will he be in August? Let’s take a look at six potential targets.
7. Yankees
Why it fits: We’re trying to cover all of the basics here. This seems unlikely – the Yankees already have too many right-handed thugs on their lineup – but if one of the goals is to add a bat and they don’t like the left-handed options in the trading market, they could be worse than Bryant. Aaron Judge has had a good year in right field, but let’s take a look at the OPS + numbers of players who have played at least six games in left field for the Yankees this year …
Miguel Andujar: 83
Clint Frazier: 77
Brett Gardner: 75
Tim Locastro: 41 (including his time in Arizona)
Mike Tauchman: 54
Remember, the league average for this statistic is 100. Basically every left fielder the Yankees have deployed this season has been way below the league average. Yeah, you could use Bryant, and don’t forget that he could spell Gardner (and his .197 batting average) in the middle too, though he’s probably not a full-time answer there.
6. Seafarers
Why it fits: Who would have called the Mariners contenders before the start of the season? But here they are, a game from an AL wildcard spot and just six behind the Astros to the west. For a franchise that hasn’t been in the postseason since 2001 – the longest streak in baseball – you know they’ll be exploring at least aggressive upgrade options. And do you remember their GM? The compulsive trader himself, Jerry DiPoto. Seattle’s pitching is useful, but the offense needs help. Kyle Seager is established in third place and the same with Mitch Haniger on the right, but Bryant would be a massive upgrade in left field, or DH.
5. Braves
Why it fits: Even now, in the week of the trade deadline, it’s hard to know what the Braves are going to do. They had a lot of trouble finding traction this year. But it’s still just a handful of games from the first ones in the NL East, and trading with Bryant would take the racket away from another team that would benefit from KB’s racket (spoiler). Add Bryant, keep him on third base and move Austin Riley out into the outfield (he’s a better defender in the hot corner than Riley), you win NL East. So easy, right? You have already traded for a Cubs outfielder; Joc Pederson has two homers and nine RBIs in 11 games with Atlanta.
4. Phillies
Why it fits: Nothing has really gone according to plan since the Phillies signed free agent Bryce Harper on this massive deal ahead of the 2019 season. They’ve been a deep .500 club during his three seasons with Philadelphia, and they’re sitting a game over .500 here in 2021. But they’re only 3 1/2 behind the Mets in NL East and Bryant is checking a lot of boxes for the Phillies . It doesn’t hurt that Bryant and Harper are friends too. Bring the friends back together, rally around a playoff seat, and put the frustrations of rampant mediocrity in the rearview mirror.
3. Brewer
Why it fits: Would the Cubs REALLY swap Bryant for division rivals who just sprinted past them in June and dealt the devastating blow to the 2021 Chicago season? If the only goal is to build a better team and the Brewers make the best deal, then they should definitely swap it on the way to Milwaukee. Sure, the Brewers are a rival to the Cubs, but it’s not like they’re the Cardinals, is it? It’s not a centuries-old rivalry.
The Brewers have had all kinds of injury issues this year, and while they are doing low-risk deals for a guy like Rowdy Tellez, it could potentially work (if that good) by adding an established racket like Bryant to make a much bigger impact . On days when the club wants more offensive from the position, he could play in midfield. He could play third base if Luis Urias – who has 13 homers in 94 games this year, after six of 124 career games en route to 2021 – slows down or if needed in another position. He could play first. The Brewers are a team that will be battling for the NL’s place in the World Series, and adding a versatile mid-range racket like Bryant is pretty much what they need.
2. Athletics
Why it fits: Even though the A’s have hit a rough patch, this is an Oakland team that has the parts to finally make the long-awaited deep run into October. Well most of the pieces. The A’s could use another bat. Obviously, Bryant wouldn’t finish third while Matt Chapman is healthy, but he would be an instant upgrade either on the corner of the outfield or on DH. Lots of bright people had linked the A’s to Nelson Cruz, but he ended up with the Rays. And while many teams would view Bryant’s status as a bad thing, the lack of financial commitments could actually be seen as a bonus for the A’s.
1. Mets
Why it fits: It’s probably no surprise that the Mets are at the forefront here, considering they were listed as the most likely potential target on the piece a few weeks ago. No contender needs an offensive kick in the pants more than the Mets. Sure, maybe the biggest problem is they only need their established guys to get well and / or beat better – hello, Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto and Francisco Lindor – but at some point a team with vision can claim the title of the World To win Series, t just sit around and wait. Adding Bryant’s versatile racket to the lineup is kind of a dream solution. Bryant gives a team a lot of options.
Oh, and there’s the following: Imagine if the Mets lost several 1-0 or 2-1 games in a playoff series – that 1-0 would of course be Jacob deGrom’s start – after they didn’t make a move before the game have made to add a bat appointment? Mets fans wouldn’t be happy (and neither would the players). And you know the new owner, Steve Cohen, is keen to make a huge impact on the deadlines.
