MLB trade deadline: Reviewing the impact of 2021 deadline trades
By Bill Felber
The Kris Bryant trade
Bryant went from the Cubs to San Francisco in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers, pitcher Caleb Kilian and outfielder Alexander Canario.
At the time they acquired Bryant, the Giants were locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West title. The Giants eventually won that struggle, although it took 107 victories to edge out the Dodgers by a single game. In the playoffs, Los Angeles ousted the Giants in a best-of-five division series before being ousted themselves by the Braves.
Alternating between third base and the outfield, Bryant lived up to expectations for the Giants. He hit .262 in 51 games with a .788 OPS.
And the playoff loss to the Dodgers was certainly not Bryant’s fault. In 18 plate appearances he hit. 471, albeit with just two RBI. Why the low RBI count? Easy: Fifteen of Bryant’s 18 plate appearances came with the bases empty.
Even so, when it came time to sign Bryant during the offseason, the Giants did not step forward. Instead the Colorado Rockies lured him in March with a seven-year, $172 million offer.
The Cubs’ return on Bryant has yet to be measured. Kilian, the pitcher, has made three starts for the Cubs in 2022, and he got shelled each time. Still, he’s ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect with a 2022 delivery date.
As for Canario, the 22-year-old outfielder is batting .251 at Double-A Tennessee with 17 home runs. The Cubs think he could contend for a roster spot as early as next season.
Verdict: Bryant may have made the difference in getting the Giants to their 2021 division title, and in that respect he was worth the price of two legit prospects. But the failure of other elements of the Giants to deliver in the postseason rendered his contributions meaningless.