Kris Bryant to Bat Leadoff for Cubs in Spring Training Amid Trade Rumors

New Chicago Cubs manager David Ross plans to use Kris Bryant in the leadoff spot in spring training and potentially beyond.

"You'll see him at the top of the order a whole lot in spring training," Ross said Wednesday, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. "My goal is to put the best players and the best at-bats for me at the top of the order."

Drew Silva of NBC Sports noted the upgrade compared to last year's team:

Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist were among those rotating into the leadoff spot in 2019, but Bryant could be the answer in 2020.

"Kris Bryant is a really good at-bat, gets on base, is probably one of our best baserunners," Ross said. "His baseball IQ is extremely high. So when you talk about putting the best players in baseball at the top of the order, I think that's our best player and I want to put him at the top." 

Bryant mostly split his time between No. 2 and No. 3 last season, similar to his role for much of his career. He's only made seven starts as the leadoff hitter out of a possible 706 appearances, but he's played well with a .321 average and .387 on-base percentage in that small sample.

The 28-year-old is also coming off a strong 2019 season after an injury-filled 2018, finishing last year with a .282 average and .903 OPS to go with 31 home runs.

If he meets expectations, Bryant could represent a significant boost to a team that missed the playoffs for the first time in five years last season.

Of course, there is no guarantee the versatile player will remain with the team throughout the season. 

According to Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com, the Cubs spoke to multiple teams in recent weeks about a trade for Bryant, including the Rangers, Rockies, Nationals and Phillies. Though it doesn't appear a deal is imminent, Morosi noted talks could ramp up during the year ahead of the July 31 deadline.

Bryant said he expects to remain in Chicago after a conversation with general manager Theo Epstein, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, but plans could change if the team gets off to a slow start.