In the post-lockout days of 2021-22, free agents still available started flying off the board.
In one of the most shocking deals we have seen in recent memory, the Colorado Rockies signed former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP (and World Series winner) Kris Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million deal.
It was shocking to see a team in shambles like the Rockies thinking one player could possibly fix their mess, and also shocking to see Bryant agreeing to spend the next seven years of his career playing for a non-contender.
Now, however, the player appears to be having some second thoughts.
That’s at least what he implied in a recent chat with The Athletic, as discussed by the folks at Chris Rose Sports.
“Kris Bryant admitted he should have done more research on the prospects before signing with Colorado,” they tweeted, with a video of an interesting discussion.
Kris Bryant admitted he should have done more research on the prospects before signing with Colorado pic.twitter.com/prDi1VN4XV
Rose questions whether Bryant, who had a .680 OPS with the Rox last year and has played a grand total of 122 games in his two years with the team, has much left in the tank.
But that’s not the center of the discussion: it’s how Bryant threw the organization and its prospects under the bus.
“It’s like ‘Oh shoot, I need to get there,’” the player said, per The Athletic. “There were other teams interested, but I didn’t want to wait around. … It was a completely different situation for a lot of free agents at the time. I guess I didn’t do as much research into the prospects as I could.”
That last line, that he didn’t do much research into the prospects as he could, is a clear jab at the young players and the team’s player development skills.
He might be right (he probably is), but it’s surprising to see a player talking so candidly about his teammates.