"We want you here" - Kris Bryant opens up about joining the Colorado Rockies and leaving his former team behind

In the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, the Colorado Rockies were hoping Kris Bryant, a University of San Diego slugger who did nothing but smash in his college career, would be their selection as the third overall pick. Things didn't go as planned. Instead, he was drafted to the Chicago Cubs. According to a Chicago Sun Times article, Bryant, who recently joined the Rockies, said the following:

‘‘The Rockies, from the very beginning, were like, ‘We want you here,’ ’’ Bryant said. ‘‘And that was a really good feeling, especially early on. And it made me excited about the opportunity here.’’

Kris Bryant was almost a member of the Colorado Rockies 9 years ago

Division Series - Chicago Cubs v St Louis Cardinals - Game One

The Chicago Cubs ended up taking Bryant one pick earlier, where Bryant went on to have a standout career in Wrigley. The highlight of Bryant's career in Chicago came in the 2016 season, where he was named the National League's Most Valuable Player en route to helping the Cubs break the longest-ever World Series drought.

With a .939 OPS and a league-leading 121 runs scored, Bryant was hailed as a curse breaker, in what was shaping up to be baseball's next great dynasty.

World Series - Chicago Cubs v Cleveland Indians - Game Seven

However, 2016 would be Kris Bryant's only championship. He continued to perform well, slugging a total of 160 home runs for Chicago and firmly entrenched himself as the best Cubs third baseman since Ron Santo.

However, all good things must end, as Bryant was traded with Anthony Rizzo and Javy Baez, the core of the 2016 championship team. The San Francisco Giants acquired Kris Bryant at the 2021 trade deadline, where he helped the unlikely Giants win 107 games and the National League West title. Then, he entered free agency.

It took almost a decade, and $178 million, but the Colorado Rockies finally have their guy. It wasn't easy, as rumors were that Bryant's former Little League teammate and the 2021 National League's Most Valuable Player, Bryce Harper, was pushing hard for the slugger to make his way to Philadelphia and join forces in pursuit of championships.

Bryant, however, chose to take his own path, to a ballpark that is heaven for sluggers and to a team that has done nothing but let its stars leave. Kris Bryant feels like his career has come full circle as he has a chance to finish his career with a team it very well could have started with.

It was monumental for Bryant to help the Cubs win their first World Series title in 71 years. Cubs fans will remember his tenure in Wrigley Field for the rest of their lives. If Kris Bryant manages to bring Colorado its first-ever World Series title ever, he'll aquire a status akin to the greatest baseball executive of all-time, Theo Epstein. He will achieve baseball immortality.