In a shrewd business move, Cubs GM Theo Epstein has decided to send promising prospect Kris Bryant to the minors.
.@Cubs reassign uber prospect Kris Bryant to Minor League camp: http://t.co/TnUf2y3Nt3 pic.twitter.com/UE6vtlsUAl
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2015
We’ve already told you the details of why the young star may be stashed in the minors for a few weeks, much to the dismay of super-agent Scott Boras (who is rumored to take issue with the Players Union and potentially file a suit over the deal).
“The opiate of player control cannot supersede the greater importance of MLB’s integrity and brand, which says that this is where the best players play. You can’t have that,” Boras said in a phone interview with CBSSports.com. “Clearly, there’s an obligation to put the best players in the big leagues.”
“They haven’t won for 100 years, and they should start trying to win today,” Boras said. “Cubs fans are paying the third-highest ticket prices. They are paying for the team to win today. They don’t pay to see the club do business.”
You can’t argue with his logic here. The people pay to see the best players, and Kris Bryant’s past two years alone- College Player of the Year, Arizona Fall League MVP, Minor League Player of the Year- has demonstrated he deserves a shot at the big leagues.
Now, despite leading all Spring Training hitters with 9 home runs and posting an average well north of .400, the Cubs maintain that moving Kris Bryant to the minors is “a baseball decision”, as opposed to big business.
The Cubs GM will never admit that this move is in an effort to contain Kris Bryant’s contract rights for another year, but the decision is so glaringly obvious. The Chicago Tribune confirmed,
Scott Boras, Bryant’s agent, has been adamant that the Cubs owed it to their fans to start the season with his client on the roster. But by sending Bryant to Iowa for at least a couple of weeks, the Cubs would have him under their control for seven years instead of six.
The Commissioner has already weighed in on the matter, and politely asked that Scott Boras butt-out of the Cubs personnel decisions.
It looks like this one may end up in the courts. But for now, Kris Bryant is forced to return to the minors a year after hitting 43 home runs and being named the leagues best player.
That’s just big business, Kris.
H/T Fox