Kris Bryant doesn’t seem interested in an extension with the Cubs

Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though. We’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.

Kris Bryant is pretty good at the whole baseball thing. He’s 25, he’s already got an MVP and a World Series ring, and he’s not even arbitration-eligible yet. The Cubs were hoping to keep him from ever being that way, too, as they reportedly offered him an extension — or, at the least, tried to begin extension talks. However, Bryant (and his agent, Scott Boras), apparently have no interest in signing one, to the point that they might not have even taken the time to hear the Cubs out.

According to the Jon Heyman story linked above, one Cubs official described the response of Bryant’s camp to an extension entreaty to be “We’re good.” And you probably don’t even need to ask why that’s the case. But if you’re scratching your head as to why, it has to do with maximizing earnings.

Kris Bryant would benefit financially if he accepted an extension now, sure, in the sense that he’s trapped in a system that refuses to recognize the value of what he’s producing until he’s 30 years old. He’s a superstar athlete, though, and he’s in a tremendous position to bet on himself and earn far more than what the Cubs will offer him.

Some players go the security route, and that’s just fine! Bryant, though, already won’t be a free agent until 2022, when he’ll be heading into his age-30 season. He probably has one real chance for a mega-contract, and signing an extension that might not even pay him as much year-to-year as arbitration could limit the chances of even having that one chance. That’s because the price for guaranteed money and security now tends to be free agent years, and Boras isn’t going to trade those in for someone who very well might sign one of the biggest deals he’s negotiated.

No one is in the wrong here, as both sides are looking out for themselves. Bryant will still get paid in the meantime, the Cubs will still get to enjoy his production for years to come, and at some point, they’ll either part ways or the Cubs will spend heavily to retain him. They owe each other nothing beyond that, and while that’s a bit cold for the player whose smile and eyes light up fans’ lives, that’s the business.