Kris Bryant Signing Has Put Rockies in Brutal Spot for Years To Come

Taking a shot on Kris Bryant has helped set the Colorado Rockies back.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

A lot of eyebrows were raised when it was announced that the Colorado Rockies were signing Kris Bryant in free agency to a massive seven-year, $182 million deal.

It was surprising mostly because the Rockies aren’t a team that normally dives into free agency in that fashion. Handing out a contract of that size, they'd better be sure the player they are bringing on will help anchor the lineup and elevate the offense to another level.

Previously in his career, Bryant showed he was capable of that. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 while also being named to the NL All-Star Team. An 11th-place finish in the NL MVP voting was also achieved. A year later, he ended up winning the MVP Award with a career-high 7.3 bWAR.

Bryant was never quite able to reach that level of production again. But he was still an incredibly productive player for the Chicago Cubs. He made two more All-Star games and appeared on the MVP ballot one more time before hitting free agency and signing with Colorado.

Kris Bryant Has Been Disastrous For Rockies

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Unfortunately for the Rockies, things have gone about as poorly as possible. Bryant has played in only 170 games in four campaigns. Injuries have decimated him, and even when he has been able to get in the lineup, he isn’t making a positive impact. His bWAR has been negative three years running, with a total of minus-1.6 with the franchise.

He hasn’t been on the field in 2025 since April 12. Receiving this level of return on investment has been a major detriment to the franchise, leaving it in a tough spot. If there were one trade Colorado could make right now, it would almost assuredly be moving off his contract to spend money elsewhere.

“No trade is going to fix this mess, and it would probably be in their best interest to just punt on the next three years in the hopes of cobbling something competent together by the time Kris Bryant's contract mercifully expires,” wrote Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report.

There are a lot of reasons why the Rockies are in the position they currently are in. Bryant’s inability to help on the field is one of them. Even the most pessimistic of people couldn’t have foreseen this level of disappointment coming from his signing.

In 712 plate appearances, he has a .244/.324/.370 slash line with 17 home runs, 29 doubles and 61 RBI. His OPS+ has dropped each year with the club and sits at an underwhelming 84 over the last four seasons.

More Rockies News:

feed