Chicago Cubs star catcher Willson Contreras is off to a red-hot start at the plate in the 2022 MLB season. An unrestricted free agent in 2023, Contreras was arbitration-eligible this season, though he and the Cubs avoided that occurrence with Thursday's agreement. ESPN's Jesse Rogers has the details.

Per Rogers, the Cubs and Contreras agreed to a 2022 salary of $9.625 million. That figure represents the midpoint of the two submitted by each side.

It means that Contreras will avoid an arbitration hearing, which always carries the potential to get messy. The 30-year-old backstop is currently on pace for one of the best seasons of his career, as he's posted a .933 OPS with 10 homers, 35 runs scored and 23 RBI in 47 games for the Cubs.

The two-time All-Star has been considered one of the game's better hitting catchers in the past several seasons. Given his impending free agency, it's put him right in the middle of speculation as a potential trade chip this summer, with the Cubs 10 games under .500.

It's unclear whether Chicago has plans for a contract extension with the veteran backstop. Back in May, Contreras had said he hadn't heard anything about an extension from the front office.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Contreras.