Bryant and the Cubs have avoided arbitration by settling on an $18.6-million salary for 2020, a source confirmed to 670 The Score reporter Bruce Levine. That's a bump over the $12.9 million that Bryant made in 2019.
Bryant, 28, hit .282 with 31 homers, 77 RBIs and a .903 OPS in 147 games last season. Despite his supreme talent, Bryant has found himself on the trade block this offseason as the Cubs are at a crossroads in deciding how to balance being competitive in 2020 with what's best for their long-term future.
The Cubs also resolved the contract situations of their other five arbitration-eligible players. They reached one-year deals with shortstop Javier Baez ($10 million), outfielder Kyle Schwarber ($7.01 million), catcher Willson Contreras ($4.5 million), outfielder Albert Almora Jr. ($1.575 million) and reliever Kyle Ryan ($975,000), according to reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN, Jesse Rogers of ESPN and Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
Baez and the Cubs have had preliminary discussions about a long-term contract extension, according to reports. Settling on his 2020 salary doesn't preclude Baez and the Cubs from striking a contract extension.