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Willson Contreras signed with the Cubs in 2009 as a 16-year-old. After seven years in the minors and a position switch to catcher Contreras made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2016, and was a key contributor during the team’s World Series run. Now, at 29, and free agency on the horizon after the 2022 season, Contreras seems like he’s accepted that his time with the Cubs is nearing an end.
Almost the entire 2016 team has been replaced, as the biggest purge occurred during last year’s trade deadline, when Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez were all shipped out of Chicago. Besides Jason Heyward, Contreras is the last remaining position player from the Cubs’ World Series roster and although he’s established himself as a top-10 catcher in MLB the front office has not engaged in any extension talks with him since last offseason.
670 The Score’s Bruce Levine interviewed Contreras earlier this week and the two-time All-Star appears to know that his future with the Cubs is most likely ending some time in 2022.
Via 670 The Score.
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“This is something that is really tough for me,” Contreras said. “Personally, the relationships I have with the team, players and fans, (leaving) will be something that will be really tough to take. This is something very emotional for me, knowing all that I have had to go through to get to this point. It’s going to be really tough and very emotional.”
“Baseball is a business, and it’s something I learned from watching the guys last year and what they went through,” Contreras said. “Everyone can be moved or traded. No one is indispensable. You must come in and do your work every day. The rest will take care of itself.”
In his final year of arbitration, Contreras and the Cubs could not agree on a salary for the 2022 season. Contreras filed at $10.25 million while the team offered $9 million.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday Contreras acknowledged that the hectic activity and short time period following the lockout affected those contract negotiations. He also addressed trade rumors and how his mentality has changed since 2019, and again he seems to be at peace with whatever the Cubs decide to do with him this season.
Contreras, continued:
"And I understand that the Chicago Cubs are in a rebuild right now. And if they can get good packages, they're going to do whatever they do best for the team. Anyways, whatever happens, happens."
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) March 23, 2022
In 2021, Contreras slashed .237/.340/.438, with 21 home runs. He was an above average hitter, posting a 109 wRC+ and was worth 2.1 fWAR.
Whether you agree with the Cubs potentially trading Contreras in 2022 at this point really isn’t why some fans are frustrated with the team. What angers some in the fanbase is that the Cubs are positioning themselves to trade a valuable player, a top-10 catcher, who don’t simply fall into your lap, while they supposedly told fans that the team was going to compete in 2022. Do you really trade one of your better players when you’re trying to compete?
That doesn’t add up.
This week’s Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast ends with the frustration Cubs fans are feeling with the team in regards to what they promised they would do, what they ended up doing and how they could have done more this offseason.
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