Kris Bryant Trade Odds: Mets Favored as Cubs Leave All-Star Out of Thursday’s Lineup

There have been talks about correspondence between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets about outfielder and third baseman Kris Bryant for about a month now and the odds definitely reflect that.

With Bryant out of the lineup on Thursday, the intrigue only builds.

The Mets are +200 favorites at PointsBet (in Colorado only) to land the former National League MVP before he becomes a free agent in the fall. They are currently 3.5 games ahead of the Phillies for the NL East division and owner Steve Cohen has indicated that he wants to make a move this trade deadline.

2021 MLB Trade Deadline

Kris Bryant Next Team (If Traded)

Odds according to PointsBet in Colorado as of Wednesday night

Acquiring Bryant will allow the Mets even more flexibility across the diamond.

The four-time All-Star's ability to play third base, first base and anywhere in the outfield will let him to fill in on rest days for Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and others.

It’ll also permit New York to bump offensive liabilities out of the day-to-day lineup entirely.

The A's, who just acquired outfielder Starling Marte on Wednesday, are second-best favorites at +300. They're six games back from the Astros for first-place in the AL West and lead the wild card standings by a game and a half.

Oakland has a 37.9% chance to make the playoffs and a 5.2% chance to win the division as of Wednesday night, according to FanGraphs.

The Brewers are third-best favorites and, too, acquired another bat on Wednesday with the addition of Eduardo Escobar.

Milwaukee is in poll position in the NL Central and have a 91.8% chance to win that division, according to FanGraphs as of Wednesday night.

The Red Sox, Braves, Mariners and Yankees are other contenders to land the highly coveted 29-year-old.

The Cubs have become firm sellers this summer due to their precarious playoff position and with their World Series winning core of Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez eligible for free agency after the season.

The Cubs entered play nine and a half games back from the Brewers in the NL Central and eight games back from the second wild card spot. FanGraphs gives them less than a 2% chance of making the playoffs.

Bryant was a linchpin member of the Cubs team that won the 2016 World Series — the team's first championship in 108 years. That season, he hit .292/.385/.554 with 39 homers and won MVP honors.

Despite Bryant's obvious value, his offensive production has undoubtedly waned since 2019, which has played a large part in the Cubs’ willingness to let him go — and unwillingness to hand him an expensive extension.

While Bryant hit .284/.385/.516 with an OPS of +137 and an average of almost 28 homers per season from 2015-19, he's hit .268/.363/.494 since with an OPS+ of 126.

Bryant had spent his entire career with the Cubs after he was selected second overall in the 2013 MLB Draft.