Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo appeared to shoot down trade rumors linking the club with Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant.
“We haven’t had a serious conversation about Kris Bryant in probably two years,” Rizzo said, per to Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
Rizzo’s comment appears to contradict Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who earlier in the day said Bryant’s name “definitely” has come up in conversations.
The Nationals have been in search of a reliable replacement for Anthony Rendon at third base since his departure last winter. Carter Kieboom struggled in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The young prospect hit .202/.344/.212 with nine RBIs and 33 strikeouts in 33 games.
While Kieboom is penciled to start on the hot corner for Washington Opening Day 2021, the Nationals still may be in search of more reliable production at third.
However in comparison, Bryant wasn’t much better last season. He had a career-low slash of .206/.293/.351 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and 40 strikeouts in 34 games. Bryant’s production has steadily declined since winning NL MVP in 2016.
Yet, Rizzo publicly commenting about trade talks involving another team’s player is unusual. Not to mention, he appeared to overstep or downplay his manager. This could be an attempt at gamesmanship by the GM. With MLB’s offseason just warming up, only time will tell if Rizzo is being upfront about the Nationals’ lack of interest in Bryant.
