Right before the All-Star break, the Atlanta Braves lost star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. With Acuña out of the lineup, the Braves went out and acquired outfielder Joc Pederson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs.
During Friday's installment of "Nothing Personal with David Samson," David Samson explained why the Pederson deal doesn't necessarily mean that the Cubs are having a fire sale at the trade deadline.
"'Oh, you're trading Joc Pederson? The Cubs are open for business.' That's not really how it works. The Cubs aren't going to give Kris Bryant away. I would trade Kris Bryant because I know I'm not going to re-sign him. The Cubs are very unlikely to re-sign Bryant because of what he's going to ask for with his agent being Scott Boras. What will be interesting to me is if someone offers the Cubs enough to get them to move Bryant. I'm only moving Kris Bryant if I get back not just money, but save money and get players. And I'm not sure if Kris Bryant will get that in the marketplace."
Kris Bryant is scheduled to be a free agent following the 2021 season and he's arguably the Cubs' most valuable asset at the trade deadline. Chicago could chose to move Bryant at the deadline if the team receives a decent trade package in exchange for his services. The team could also yield offers for first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Javier Baez, who are also set to be free agents after this season.
However, Samson simply believes that the Cubs aren't going to give a player of Bryant's caliber away for pennies on the dollar just because he's going to be a free agent.
