One of the final pillars of the Cubs’ historic 2016 World Series team knows his days in Chicago are numbered.
According to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Pat Ragazzo, All-Star catcher Willson Contreras is part of a trade package that has been proposed to the Mets. He and closer David Robertson would go to New York for a haul of prospects.
Contreras, who signed a one-year, $9.625 million contract for 2022, is one of several players the Cubs have considered moving ahead of the trade deadline, along with Robertson, All-Star outfielder Ian Happ and reliever Mychal Givens. Multiple reports suggest that it’s more a question of “when” rather than “if” regarding potential trades.
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The reports of the Cubs moving on from Contreras and Happ seem to have been corroborated during Chicago’s game vs. the Pirates at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. Cameras caught the two players embracing in the Cubs’ dugout, seemingly marking their last home game together as Cubs.
Willson Contreras and Ian Happ were the final two players in the dugout. They shared this embrace. pic.twitter.com/Y6GIvRMvqh
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) July 26, 2022
The fans at Wrigley sensed it, too, as they gave Contreras extended ovations during his first and last at-bats.
Willson Contreras got a standing ovation in what could be his last last home game with the Cubs 👏💙
(via @WatchMarquee)pic.twitter.com/D0imPZacXt
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 26, 2022
“I love how the fans embrace myself,” he said, per MLB.com. “That makes me feel good. It makes me feel that, if I have to walk away from this team, I can walk away with my head up high, because I know I did everything I could to make this team better from Day 1.”
The Mets are a playoff-bound team that’s leading the NL East. New York could use some help behind — and at — the plate, and Contreras (.258/.374/.473) certainly could provide it.
Ragazzo, however, notes that the Mets are not willing to part with their top two prospects, catcher Francisco Alvarez and third baseman/outfielder Brett Baty. It’s uncertain whether that would cause a potential deal to fall through, though Ragazzo also notes that the Mets have made Contreras a priority ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline.
It’s also worth noting that both Contreras and Happ are pending free agents and would be rental pieces for new teams. A trade for either player would be a short-term, win-now move.
And earlier Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that teams interested in Contreras have had misgivings about playing him at catcher. Per Passan (ESPN Insider subscription required), teams have worried about the time it would take him to mesh with their pitchers. That would make him more of a DH/corner bat presence with the ability to catch if needed.