Kris Bryant is a perfect fit for the Colorado Rockies … if not for one thing

The Colorado Rockies have to add somebody to their offense for the 2022 season. They will be losing Trevor Story this offseason so their already depleted offense would be even worse (on paper) than it was in 2021.

As a result, the Rockies have to get somebody to help their offense via the trade market or free agency. One of the biggest targets out there in free agency is Kris Bryant and he’d check off a lot of things on the Rockies list.

Kris Bryant would be a perfect fit for the Colorado Rockies … but one thing will hold it up.

Kris Bryant would check off every box for the Colorado Rockies.

He would be one of their best offensive bats. He plays third base and the outfield (he’s versatile and it’s the position that the Rockies need). He would be leaving the Rockies division rival in the San Francisco Giants. That pretty much means that he would be a perfect fit.

The Rockies also are familiar with him because, as Thomas Harding of MLB.com noted in this article, the Rockies were debating between drafting him and Jon Gray in the 2013 draft (and current Rockies GM Bill Schmidt ran that draft for the Rockies). The Cubs took Bryant with the second overall pick and the Rockies took Gray with the third overall pick.

The Rockies also examined a deal that would have sent Nolan Arenado to the Cubs in exchange for Kris Bryant a few years ago (Rox Pile’s Kevin Larson tried to make sense of that at the time in this article and you can check out a number of articles our site had about that at the time here).

But it should also be noted that Kris Bryant went to the University of San Diego and the Rockies have a lot of ties to San Diego.

Manager Bud Black went to San Diego State, managed in San Diego, and still lives in the San Diego area in the offseason. Hitting coach Dave Magadan, infielder Alan Trejo, first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe, and other Rockies in recent years have ties to San Diego whether it’s with the Padres or going to college in San Diego.

The only problem for the Rockies will be what Bryant will command for money. Bryant is projected as the fourth-best free agent on the market this offseason by MLB Trade Rumors and he is projected to get a six years and $160 million.

That is likely too far out of reach for the Rockies but if they are willing to play in that area, the Rockies would be able to solve a lot of problems with Kris Bryant.