Kris Bryant, Rockies finalize $182M, 7-year contract

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies finalized their $182 million, seven-year contract on Friday.

The third baseman and outfieder gets a $7 million signing bonus, payable within 15 days of the signing. He receives a $17 million salary this year, $27 million in each of the next two seasons and $26 million in each of the final four years.

Bryant joined his third team in eight months after spending his first six major league seasons with the Chicago Cubs, who traded him to San Francisco last July.

The 2016 NL MVP and World Series champion batted .265 with 25 homers and 73 RBIs last season, and he had eight hits in the Giants’ five-game playoff loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a midseason slump that precipitated the trade, Bryant earned his fourth career All-Star selection during a solid rebound from a rough year at the plate in 2020.

Bryant can play third, first or in the outfield — his most likely position with the Rockies, who have Ryan McMahon at third and C.J. Cron at first. Bryant also is a candidate to join Charlie Blackmon among the Rockies’ designated hitters.

Bryant is a career .278 hitter with 167 homers, 487 RBIs and an .880 OPS, but he is about to get the full benefits of playing at hitter-friendly Coors Field, where he has batted .263 (15-for-57) with two homers, nine RBIs and a .757 OPS in his career.

The 2015 NL Rookie of the Year’s right-handed swing will offset the left-handed slant to the outfield lineup for the Rockies, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2009.

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