Kris flu out in 1st appearance

Bryant skips media social; future with cubs remains fuzzy, not necessarily warm

It’s flu season, and it’s important to know the symptoms — fever, sore throat, headache, muscle ache, fatigue and an aversion to the media. OK, I made up the media part. But I couldn’t help but think that the mere idea of we pesky reporters asking questions added to the flu Kris Bryant came down with on the first day of the Cubs Convention. The third baseman was a no-show Friday for the Media Social — such a nice, genteel name for a news conference. I don’t want to admit to being skeptical about Bryant’s illness because that’s beneath me, but if he could provide a doctor’s note at his earliest convenience, that would be great.

We in the media wanted to know what it felt like to be a beloved Cub who couldn’t get an ever-loving contract extension if his life depended on it.

We wanted to know if he, the 2016 National League MVP, believed he was on the trading block.

We wanted to know if he was feeling happy, sad, content, resigned or betrayed.

We wanted to know if he believed what the team was saying, that it didn’t have a lot of money to spend on players.

Instead, we found out he had the flu, so boohoo for us. He did show up to wave to the massive crowd that showed up for the convention’s opening ceremony, but then it was back to his hotel room, his illness and his lack of career clarity.

Bryant hasn’t had much to say this offseason, even with the trade-rumor machine spitting out his name on a daily basis. Judging by the number of people wearing his jersey at the convention Friday, there will be a mass uprising if the Cubs do deal him. It might be unthinkable to those fans that the club would do so. It is unthinkable, given the tons of money the franchise has raked in the last several years. But the wealthy team he plays for doesn’t want to

go over the luxury tax a second consecutive year. That makes him vulnerable.

Cubs president Theo Epstein seemed to throw a bone to the pro-KB faction, saying there was “a really good chance” Bryant would be with the team this season. Was that a message to suitors who had yet to come up with a trade package that had tempted Epstein? Who knows? There wasn’t a lot in the way of answers, especially with Bryant absent.

That would be in keeping with the Cubs’ Offseason About Nothing. They’ve made only minor moves, which is one of the reasons fans booed team chairman Tom Ricketts.

“There’s always a chance for everything,’’ Epstein said when asked about the possibility of a contract extension for Bryant. “I think we’re realistic about it. It’s been a few years with some of these guys that we’ve been trying to get something done. It hasn’t happened yet. It doesn’t mean it can’t in the future. It’s really hard to predict the future. Sometimes you’re only one phone call away from signing a guy to a long-term contract. Sometimes you’re one incoming call away from a deal.

“What’s most likely is status quo. It’s hard to get long-term extensions done. It’s hard to get trades done. We have what we feel is a pretty good club. We’re trying to compete this year. We’re not in a position where we have to do anything.’’

Again, is that a message for Cubs fans or for teams that might be interested in a three-time All-Star with two years left on his contract? Epstein said the club has made no secret about its willingness to trade anyone on the roster, for the right price.

“We were open about the fact that we’re open to talking about all our guys,’’ he said. “We’re in a position where it makes sense to listen on even our best players because we’re trying to compete now, and also we’re more mindful now than we’ve been the last few years of trying to ensure a healthy future and a smooth transition away from this group, which is inevitable at some point.’’

At one point early Friday afternoon, Clark, the Cubs’ mascot, waddled into the Sheraton Grand Chicago lobby. You would have thought it was Brad Pitt by the way people were drawn to him. Few in the gathering crowd noticed when Epstein walked by in a hurry. I thought, “Of course! The age-old mascot diversionary tactic!’’

But there’s no hiding from the Bryant situation. Not for Epstein and not for Bryant himself.

“I have all the respect in the world for Kris Bryant,’’ Epstein said. “I appreciate what he’s done as a Cub. I’m very proud of what he’s done as a Cub. Proud that we drafted him and developed him — well, he didn’t need much development at all. Proud to be have been alongside him . . . and I hope it continues. And there’s a really good chance that it will.’’

Was that a goodbye or a hello to Bryant? Good question. ✶