Colorado Rockies, Kris Bryant “have had discussions” for a contract

The Colorado Rockies have shown interest in free agent third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network and the two sides “have had discussions” for a contract and the Rockies interest in Bryant is “real,” according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Bryant, who turns 30 in January, is one of the top free agents on the market this offseason and the Rockies would love to have his bat in their lineup, a lineup that had an OPS+ of 87, which was third-worst in the National League.

The Colorado Rockies would be a perfect fit for Kris Bryant

In this article nearly two weeks ago, we discussed how the Colorado Rockies and Kris Bryant would be a perfect fit.

In 2021, Bryant split the season between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants and played in 144 games. He hit .265/.353/.481 with 25 homers, 73 RBI, and an OPS+ of 124. That would have been the second-best bat in the Rockies lineup after C.J. Cron, who had an OPS+ of 130 but Bryant has shown that he can be better than that.

From 2015 through 2019, he only had one season that he had an OPS+ that was lower than 132 and that was in 2018. He was injured for part of the season (only 102 games played) but he still had an OPS+ of 121.

He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 and got MVP votes and won the NL MVP in 2016, after he helped the Cubs break their 108-year drought between World Series titles.

The Rockies have also been known to like versatility with their players in recent years and Bryant would definitely fit that mold as he can play third base, first base, and all three outfield spots. He has even played a few innings at shortstop as well.

The problem for the Rockies is going to be financials. Bryant is likely going to get a six- or seven-year deal for somewhere around $25 million per season (likely even higher). That could put him in the range of $150-$200 million.

The Rockies are unlikely to pay that but if Bryant wants to be fairly close to the west coast (went to college in San Diego and is from Las Vegas), the Rockies would love to have him.