Cubs fans were in a tizzy Thursday afternoon as the club announced their starting lineup. Neither Kris Bryant, nor Anthony Rizzo took part in the team’s series finale against the Reds at Wrigley. Chicago would ultimately lose the game 7-4, but very little of the chatter in the Windy City had anything to do with the on field performance.
The move comes the day before the MLB trade deadline, and both players have been widely speculated to be available heading into Friday. While manager David Ross indicated to reporters that no trade had been finalized, many have already begun to wrestle with the idea that they may have seen the last of Bryant and Rizzo in a Cubs uniform.
Rizzo, a 3 time All-Star and previous Silver Slugger award winner has been linked to a variety of teams in recent days, with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees emerging as betting favourites for the time being. Bryant, a 4 time All-Star and 2016 NL MVP has no shortage of suitors interested in acquiring his services for the home stretch of the season. The New York Mets have reportedly checked in on the versatile slugger several times throughout the season and appear to be in advanced negotiations with the Cubs front office. Both players are slated to be free agents at season’s end.
Bryant and Rizzo broke into the Major Leagues in 2015 and 2011 respectively and have been the faces of the Cubs franchise for much of the 2010’s. Outside of a brief 49 game stint Rizzo spent with the Padres in the early stages of his career, both have called Chicago’s Wrigley Field home for the entirety of their MLB existence. The two franchise icons helped guide Chicago to a World Series victory in 2016, ending a 108 year title drought.
Both players are expected to command multiple high ranking prospects in return if any deals are in fact consummated in the coming hours. Story developing.