I cannot ignore my own role in the ecosystem of commercial rumor. As long as sports allow commerce, we, as fans, will be interested in them. They are one of the most instantly transformative aspects of sports, so any little bit we can get about what CAN happen, well, will interest us. I really don’t expect any fans to apologize for that, but I always think we can recognize the humanity at stake for the guys at the center of the rumors.
I’m not sure if this is more true for any player in recent memory than Kris Bryant, who has been the subject of intense trade rumors going back two years, with nothing to show but a cascade of subsequent rumors.
Bryant was on the Red Line Radio podcast and talked about the impact that all rumors can have on a guy’s psyche when he’s just trying to play baseball. It’s just not realistic to expect a guy to disconnect from the game for years and have no impact on his enjoyment of the game. So it’s a drag, but yes, all the noise made it harder for Bryant to enjoy playing baseball:
The interview with Kris Bryant IS LIVE @barstoolchicago
Link to listen – https://t.co/1eSdIs9JUh pic.twitter.com/YJzbu4djtG
– Barstool Carl (@barstoolcarl) January 21, 2021
Bryant does not like all the rumors of trade. No surprise there, and I can empathize. And to be even more fair to him, the pandemic, the struggles in 2020, the injuries in the last two years, the overall performance of the team and the complaint about the service … he had many reasons for not being able to just go out and have fun yourself playing baseball.
Unfortunately, the reality is that Bryant now has another year of team control on a team that is clearly trying to cut as many salaries as possible, while getting some useful long-term parts in return. The negotiation rumors are not going away, and this will continue until the negotiation deadline if Bryant is still around. Unpleasant reality, indeed.