Moments after his manager mentioned that Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant has "come up" in conversations, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo quashed any ideas of acquiring the former MVP.

"We haven't had a serious conversation about Kris Bryant in probably two years," Rizzo said in a Zoom call with reporters on Tuesday. "He was not a big guy on our radar last year or this year. He's a great player, but at this point in time of where we're at, and what we have in our farm system, and where we're going, we think we can allocate our dollars and prospect capital in another way."

Rizzo said his priority this offseason is a bat for the middle of the lineup as the team has been "pitching-orientated" in recent years. They lost star Anthony Rendon to free agency before last season hence, some of the Bryant speculation. Manager Dave Martinez coached Bryant in Chicago before becoming manager of the Nationals.

"Very good player," Martinez said in his own call. "Like him a lot. For me, right now, unfortunately he is a Cub. His name definitely comes up in conversations. He's an unbelievable player. He's definitely a premier player in this league."

Bryant is in his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent after next season. There's been little to no progress on an extension with the Cubs and his name has been on the trade market for over a year, but the team has yet to pull the trigger on moving him. Apparently, it won't be to the Nationals.

"It's never good to get one year of a really good player for three or four prospects for the future," Rizzo stated.

Bryant compiled just a .644 OPS in 2020 but was hampered by injuries. He's only a year removed from hitting 31 home runs and having a .903 OPS.