MESA, Ariz. (670 The Score) -- Expressing as much anger and irritation as he ever has publicly, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant on Saturday expressed frustration about his name landing in trade speculation and maintained he loves playing for the only professional organization that he has ever known.
"I have always had the stance that, 'Yes, I want to play here. I love the city,'" Bryant said after reporting to spring training. "The biggest thing about the trade rumors that has disappointed me is that people said, 'Let's get rid of him now because he doesn't want to be here in two years. He turned down this monster extension well north of $200 million.' I am like, where was that? I never saw that -- rumors, sources, people saying these things. The only thing that matters is what comes from my mouth. Never once have I said I don't want to play here. We have it so good here. Of course, I want to play here."
Contradicting previous speculation , Bryant -- who's under contract through 2021 -- was adamant that he has never turned down a huge contract extension. With that in mind, would he sign an extension?
"You look at the teams that want to win and want the best players, the Cubs are at the top of the leaderboard there," Bryant said. "I want to win. We won here before. Any message we ever got here was all about winning. Of course I want to be a part of a winning organization."
Bryant recently lost a grievance case against the Cubs in which his camp contended the team manipulated his service time back in 2015. Had Bryant won the case and been awarded an extra year of service time, he would've been in line to be a free agent after 2020.
Bryant didn't have much communication with the Cubs front office over the offseason, though president of baseball operations Theo Epstein texted him recently just to make sure they were on the same page after the grievance ruling and with trade speculation swirling. Bryant insisted there are no hard feelings toward the Cubs, pointing out the grievance case was intended to stand up for players' rights and improve their situation moving forward.
"I knew it was an uphill battle going into it," Bryant said. "We had a disagreement. We handled it respectfully, and so did the Cubs. It was something I really believed in. My parents taught me to always stand up for what you believe in. I was going to see the process through. No hard feelings, and there is respect on both ends."
What did have Bryant more irritated is what he viewed as erroneous reports about his feelings toward the Cubs.
"I definitely saw a lot of things out there saying I had ill will toward the team," Bryant said. "Then there was one saying there was no ill will. I said to myself, 'Where are we getting this from?' The only person's opinion that matters here is mine. I am right here talking into this microphone saying there are no hard feelings whatsoever. I completely respect this organization, and they have given me an opportunity to play the game I love. I just saw this as something that will help the players in the next round of negotiating. I was going to be that guy who had the courage to do it."
Bryant was perhaps most angry at social media and the speculation monster that it has created.
"As you get closer to spring training, you get more involved in baseball thoughts," Bryant said. "I ignored you guys (the media) and all that you say. Twitter is completely off my phone since two years ago. It's the worst thing that has ever happened to this world. Instagram was gone last year. But I have friends that send me screenshots of what you guys write. I see stuff secondhand, but I really try to avoid it."
All that said, Bryant admitted he thought about his future and the uncertainty that persists as the Cubs remain stagnant but itching to revamp their team moving forward.
"Yeah, with all the craziness that's going on," Bryant said on if trade thoughts entered his mind. "But I am totally kept out of the loop on all of that stuff. I always expected to be here, and I am very happy about it. There were trade rumors last year as well. Going through that, I know is a part of the process. You know as you get closer to free agency, everything is more up in the air. I try my best to tune it out. It's hard, really hard."
Bryant maintained he's open to a contract extension, though the expectation across the baseball landscape is that he'll enter free agency after the 2021 season.
"I am open to it and always here too, talk," Bryant said. "This is a city I love so much, people I love so much. Fans, teammates, everybody here I am so comfortable with. Of course, you want to be here, but I don't hold those cards. I just (play) and do what I do."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
