Maybe it was always going to end this way: Kris Bryant, one day removed from having enough service time to be a free agent after the 2020 season, lost his official grievance against the Cubs. He cannot be a free agent until after 2021.
BREAKING: Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has lost his grievance against the team seeking an extra year of service, sources familiar with the ruling tell ESPN.
News story at @espn: https://t.co/07lx6NUttj— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 29, 2020It’s a rather devastating — if expected — loss for players who’ve been subjected to this kind of roster trickery in ownership’s neverending quest to extrude as much cost efficiency as they possibly can from players by delaying their path to arbitration and free agency; the two major salary escalators.