After hinting so much over the past year, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant admitted that he doesn’t enjoy playing baseball as much as he used to.
Bryant, 29, spoke to Red Line Radio, a bar stool podcast, and was asked if he felt any joy on the field.
“Sometimes not,” Bryant replied. “It really affects me sometimes. The things I heard. The first exchange rumors (in 2018) that started appearing really hit me. I find myself (thinking) ‘Man, is this fun yet? Why am I going this way? play? game because it was fun.
“There’s a lot more to it. You make a lot of money and fame and stuff. You have to go back to why you start playing.”
Bryant will become a free agent next season after reaching a deal with the Cubs for $ 19.5 million in 2021. He has been the subject of trade rumors as he and the team have failed to agree on a longer term deal . He has also heard criticism of his playing, perhaps for the first time in his career. That led to the former MVP letting go of his emotions at the end of the 2020 season.
“I don’t like … ho,” Bryant said at the time. “Not really. That’s a good answer. I’m over it. Sometimes I go out and go 4-4 and it’s not good enough for some people so I don’t give a shit … ho”
Bryant only hit .203 last season, but battled injuries and wasn’t the only Cub to struggle in 2020. In fact, for a few years he suffered from a number of ongoing ailments that may have prevented him from getting back into shape come. .
Bryant is the only player in baseball history to win the award for college player of the year, minor league player of the year, rookie of the year, and most valuable player in four consecutive seasons, from 2013 to 2016. But recent years have been a struggling, as he has become something of the standard bearer, fair or unfair, of the Cubs’ offensive woes, especially in the postseason.
On the podcast, Bryant recalled the joy of his father meeting him before hitting the record after hitting his first home run as a kid. The six-year veteran wants to find that happiness back in the game, although he indicated that more important things are happening in the world right now.
“I found myself sitting there, ‘I don’t have that joy now,’” he said. “I’m doing everything I can to get back to that place. This year was very difficult for me personally, just statistically. I still had a good time (despite COVID protocols and struggles). Making the most of a terrible situation . “