Kris Bryant signs massive contract to join Rockies

Hours after the Phillies reportedly reached an agreement with Kyle Schwarber, his former Chicago Cubs teammate Kris Bryant has a new home.

No, the two won’t be reuniting in Philadelphia.

According to Jon Heyman of Audacy Sports, Bryant is signing a seven-year/$182 million deal to join the Colorado Rockies. This comes after the former National League MVP split the 2021 season with the Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

For Bryant — who turned 30 in January — it’s a bigger deal than many believed he would get at the outset of the offseason. On Audacy Sports, I predicted that Bryant would land a six-year/$140 million deal. MLB Trade Rumors had Bryant pegged at a six-year/$160 million deal.

It’s unclear what other suitor was so aggressive in their pursuit of Bryant that the Rockies — a team that traded Nolan Arenado last offseason and is seemingly prepared for Trevor Story to depart in free agency — were willing to go to a seventh year with Bryant. While Bryant is still a very good offensive player with defensive flexibility, he was worth 20.7 fWAR in his first three Major League seasons. But since the start of the 2018 season, he’s posted 11.1 fWAR.

If all things were equal, would the Phillies have picked Bryant over Schwarber? Probably. But Bryant got three more years and an additional $103 million, so clearly things weren’t equal.

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