GAME NOT AS FUN TO BRYANT
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant always has been one to keep his feelings contained, but the 2016 National League MVP opened up about being involved in trade rumors over the last three seasons.
Bryant, who was a guest on the “Red Line Radio” podcast that aired Thursday, detailed what it has been like being involved in some of the biggest trade rumors and if he still had fun playing baseball.
“That’s a great question. At times, no. It really got to me sometimes,” Bryant said. “Just the stuff I was hearing. The first trade rumors that started to pop up [in 2018], that really got to me. I found myself like, ‘Man, is this even fun anymore? Why did I start playing this game?’ Because it was fun.
“Obviously, here’s a lot of other stuff involved. You make a ton of money and fame and all this. You have to get yourself back to why I started playing. I just remember my first home run, running around the bases, my dad picks me up after I round third. I don’t even touch home plate. That’s the joy that you have to find. And I found myself sitting there like, ‘I don’t have that joy right now.’ So I’m trying all I can to get back to that place.
“This year was really rough for me personally, just stat-wise. I still had a good time because people were so ridiculous [in the dugout/ clubhouse] making the most of a terrible situation, and that’s kind of what life is . . . . I hope to learn from that and get better for it.”
Bryant, 29, has been involved in trade rumors again and enters his final season of club control before becoming a free agent.