MLBPA threatens litigation after Cubs demote Bryant to minors

The players' association is rallying behind third baseman Kris Bryant, threatening to sue the Chicago Cubs over their controversial handling of the top prospect in baseball.

The Cubs reassigned Bryant to minor-league camp Monday after the 23-year-old hit .425 with a league-leading nine homers and 1.652 OPS in 14 games this spring. By keeping Bryant in the minors for 12 days or more to start the season, the Cubs can delay his free agency by one year until after the 2021 season.

"Today is a bad day for baseball," the Major League Baseball Players Association said in a statement. "I think we all know that even if Kris Bryant were a combination of the greatest players to play our game, and perhaps he will be before it's all said and done, the Cubs still would have made the decision they made today.

"This decision, and other similar decisions made by clubs will be addressed in litigation, bargaining or both."

Related: Cubs send Bryant to minor-league camp, option Baez to Triple-A

The Cubs' handling of Bryant has come under sharp criticism this spring and has prompted a war of words between team president Theo Epstein and Bryant's agent, Scott Boras.

Following Monday's announcement, which included the demotion of second baseman Javier Baez to Triple-A, Epstein reiterated that the club's decision to cut Bryant was made strictly for baseball reasons.

"We entered camp with the presumptive move being to send him to Triple-A," he told reporters. "It's always the presumptive move for us with young players who haven't played in the big leagues yet. You see how camp develops. You see how the rest of your players are performing and how the roster shapes up and see if there's grounds for exception to the rule. But in this case, we felt like it was the right thing to do."