Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has signed a record setting pre-arbitration deal with his club, topping the same type of deal that Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout signed a few years back. The 25-year-old player inked a $1.05 million deal that just got past Trout's $1 million dollar contract.
Both the Cubs and the Angels were looking to avoid arbitration with their young stars, and might also have been hoping to forge a bit of good will for when the Bryant and Trout were going to be free agents. The World Series champions have ways to go before they really need to worry about that as Bryant has yet to reach his second full season when it comes to service time.
Better than Trout?
The question, now that Kris Bryant has signed such a lucrative deal, a record for a second-year player, is whether or not the Chicago Cubs star is really better than Mike Trout. By all accounts, Trout is one of the best players in the game. The Angels player has the ability to steal bases, and hit for average, power, and play defense. While Bryant has shown an ability to run the bases well, and he definitely has power, he might not be as complete a player as Trout just yet.
Still, there is also very little doubt the Cubs would love to be able to say they've locked their young star up to a long contract. The team, being called one that is quite fair to young players, will get some love from Bryant when his real free agent contract is due.
Hasn't reached his ceiling
Considering just how good Bryant has been since he reached the major leagues, it's hard to remember 2016 was his first full season in the league. While he didn't qualify as a rookie last year because of his extended action in 2015, it's not a stretch to say the third baseman is still maturing and will only get better.
Taking his further development into account, it's a safe bet Bryant's price tag is only going to go up in the coming years. Still, when talking about a contract that just barely makes him a millionaire, the dollar amount seems like peanuts when looking at the contracts of even mediocre players in the league.
