Colorado Rockies: What will it take to get Kris Bryant?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 12: Kris Bryant #23 of the San Francisco Giants runs to third base against the Los Angeles Dodgers second inning in game 4 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 12: Kris Bryant #23 of the San Francisco Giants runs to third base against the Los Angeles Dodgers second inning in game 4 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Rockies are “aggressively pursuing” free agent third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant on the free agent market.

For the Rockies, unlike other potential suitors, the Rockies would almost certainly be using him in the outfield since one of their best overall players is at third base in Ryan McMahon. But regardless of where Bryant would play on the diamond, first, the Rockies would have to be able to sign him. And Bryant isn’t going to come cheap.

What will it take for the Colorado Rockies to sign Kris Bryant?

Kris Bryant isn’t going to come cheap for the Colorado Rockies.

Bryant, 30, is going to be looking for at least a five-year deal and somewhere in the neighborhood of $25-$30 million per season. So, overall, that means that the Rockies would be investing at least $125 million in Bryant and it would almost certainly be more than that in both years and money.

At the beginning of the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Bryant would get a six-year deal for $160 million, for an average annual value (AAV) of $26.67 million.

The problem for the Rockies would be that it could go even higher than that, especially if there’s a bidding war. If you take a look at the top 50 free agents from MLBTR, almost all of those players signed for higher than the projections.

Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post predicted on Monday that Bryant would get a six-year deal for $175 million, for an AAV of $29.17 million … but Saunders says that he thinks the Philadelphia Phillies could increase the price even further.

If that ends up being the case, Bryant would be the second-highest paid Rockies player ever by AAV. Nolan Arenado is the highest-paid player in Rockies history as his eight-year, $260 million contract extension, for an AAV of $32.5 million.

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Currently, the Rockies only have two players making $10 million or more. They are Charlie Blackmon ($21 million) and Germán Márquez ($11.25 million) so if the Rockies sign Bryant, he would be, by far, their highest-paid player in 2022 and beyond.