Former Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has reportedly signed a 7 year $182M contract with the Colorado Rockies. The deal will see him locked up through his age 37 season at Coors Field.
Bryant spent the first 831 games of his career with the Chicago Cubs before being dealt to the San Francisco Giants for the final 51 games of 2021. In total, the 29 year old hit .265, with 25HRs, 73RBIs, and 86 runs scored last season.
Ironically, the Rockies shipped out a franchise 3rd baseman in Nolan Arenado in 2021 in a deal that saw them acquire 5 prospects in return. Now only a year later, they’ve made one of their largest free agent signings in franchise history to bring in another player at the hot corner.
Over the course of his career, Bryant has won the NL Rookie of the Year and NL MVP awards, a World Series, and been named to 4 All-Star games. The Las Vegas native enjoyed the best season of his career in 2016 when he hit .292, with 39HRs, 102RBIs and 121 runs scored.
Coors Field has long been known as a hitters ballpark, and the righty will surely enjoy the thinner air as he looks to bounce back following an up and down year in 2021. While the signing is certainly a win for the Rockies, the club still has multiple holes to fill before they can be considered legitimate contenders in the NL West.
Colorado finished 74-87 in 2021, 32 games behind the division leading Giants. The Rockies open their season at home against the Dodgers on April 8th.