By Jordan Long
The MLB trade deadline was yesterday at 4:00 PM Mountain Time. The two big names the Cubs were supposedly shopping were Willson Contreras and Ian Happ. In the end, both of them stayed with the Chicago Cubs. These two players’ future with the organization is murky.
Contreras was part of the 2016 World Series Championship team. His contract is up after this season then he will hit free agency. Contreras is one of the top catchers in the game today. He has never won a Gold Glove, but Contreras has a strong arm to throw batters out trying to steal a base. This season he has caught 3 runners advancing. This sounds low but runners know that if they risk moving up, Contreras most likely will throw to the position player at the base they are trying to steal and they will be out with a tag.
At the plate so far this year, Contreras is hitting .253 with 14 home runs and 38 RBI’s. Contreras can drive the ball into the gap for extra base hits. If there is a teammate on base, he will drive him in. Contreras smacked 20 doubles and 2 triples.
Contreras could stay with the Cubs beyond this season. Chicago most likely will present him with a qualifying offer during the offseason. It would only be for one year though. If he accepts it, that may give the Cubs more time to give him a long term offer. The worst case is Contreras turns it down and becomes a free agent. Contreras could be in high demand because of what he brings to a team at the catcher position.
Ian Happ was very happy he wasn’t dealt to another team. According to MSN.com, Happ said, “One hundred percent I wanted to be here. I wanted to be with these guys. I want to be in this clubhouse still wearing this jersey. And the city and fan base, the team means a lot to me and I’m really happy about that.”
Happ might be traded in the offseason though. He is under contract with the Cubs until 2024. Chicago may take a look at seeing what they could acquire for him then. The other option for the Cubs is to let him play out his final year. He will be on a contract year and he might play well. His trade value would go up if that is the case.
The Cubs know they are not contenders this year. They stand at 41-61, 15.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place. Once the offseason hits, they will have major decisions with Happ and Contreras as well as needing to fix the roster to become a playoff team. It seems though Contreras’ time in Chicago is almost up. The Cubs may regret not trading Contreras at the deadline to get something back. They are risking losing him for nothing in free agency.
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