The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal questioned the Chicago Cubs’ logic for not trading catcher Willson Contreras at the deadline.
The MLB trade deadline is over, and most of the names that were expected to be dealt ultimately were. When it comes to the Chicago Cubs, the team shockingly opted against trading catcher Willson Contreras and outfielder Ian Happ. Contreras was the most surprising, considering he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
While speaking on MLB on FOX, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal questioned the Cubs, asking aloud, if the team felt they were going to have a hard time trading Contreras, then why didn’t they begin trying to do so last offseason instead of the deadline?
You can listen to Rosenthal’s full comments below, courtesy of the FOX Sports: MLB Twitter account.
Ken Rosenthal questions Cubs on not trying to trade Willson Contreras sooner
Rosenthal says the reason why Contreras stayed is that the Cubs did not get an offer from teams that they had in mind.
Besides talking about the Cubs, Rosenthal brings up that this could bring issues for Contreras as a free agent, citing questions about his defense and being a bat-first guy. Then, he brings up that the team will likely put the qualifying offer on Contreras, which could limit his market. With the qualifying offer, any team that signs Contreras will have to give a draft pick to the Cubs.
Instead of Contreras being dealt, the big catcher to be traded at the deadline was Christian Vazquez, who is also set to be a free agent after this season. The Boston Red Sox traded him to the Houston Astros in exchange for two prospects.
Contreras will be a name to keep an eye on this offseason, especially to see whether he chooses to re-sign with the Cubs or test out free agency with or without a qualifying offer placed on him.
