Kris Bryant Gets Record Pre-Arb Contract

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The Cubs renewed the contracts of all 25 players on the 40-man roster with zero-to-three years of big-league experience, according to a press release from the team.

The Cubs releases never mention salaries, but they do eventually get published, and Kris Bryant’s set a record, according to Jon Heyman of Fanrag.com:

A source close to the situation has informed FanRag Sports that Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has signed a $1.05 million contract for the upcoming 2017 season, a record for a second-year player.

Bryant has now surpassed a previous mark set by Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout, who earned an even $1 million back in 2014.

Bryant is likely set to cash in big-time next year, when he will first be eligible for arbitration. I still hope Bryant, his agent Scott Boras and the Cubs can come to a long-term agreement before that happens. (Think the Trout contract as an example for how this could be structured.)

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times reports some other pre-arb salaries for notable Cubs this year:

Cy Young Award finalist Kyle Hendricks ($760,500), All-Star shortstop Addison Russell ($644,000), NL Championship Series co-MVP Javy Baez ($609,000) and two-time World Series hero Kyle Schwarber ($565,500).

This year’s major-league minimum salary is $535,000.