The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. But their recent success likely isn't enough to salvage what's been a bottom-feeding season, which is why the expectations surrounding the team are that Willson Contreras is likely gone.
The All-Star catcher has obvious appeal as a midseason addition as teams gear up in the arms race to wield the best roster come playoff time. Adding a catcher who's made three All-Star teams – including this season – and has taken the field during a World Series is a mighty fine weapon to secure ahead of the MLB trade deadline on August 2.
While there's no absolute certainty that Contreras is gone, the Venezuelan sounded like a man whose days were numbered following the team's final home stand before the aforementioned date.
Via Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun Times:
“It's tough. I wish this day never came,” said Willson Contreras after of the final game of the Cubs' home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “But it’s about business. I understand that, I respect that. And I love my team. I love my teammates most, and I don’t want to get too attached with them because you never know what’s going to happen next week, or this week even in San Francisco. It’s been a tough couple of days for me.”
The 30-year-old has spent all seven seasons of his career in Chicago, transforming from standout rookie, to All-Star at a premium position, to the unquestioned leader of a Cubs roster that's going through a transition period as he saw the former veterans ahead of him leave to join contending teams – a fate he fully expects to happen to him.
“I’m trying just to appreciate everything that Wrigley Field is, and thinking about all the memories that I have here since 2016, [in the organization] from 2009 till now,” Contreras said ahead of the MLB trade deadline. “It’s probably — I don’t know — but probably my last home stand with the fans this year. It’s tough for me. It’s really tough.
Willson Contreras has made a significant impact with the emerging pieces in the Cubs' next generation of talent. The team hopes to recreate their mid 2010s rise after letting go of their offensive stars from that roster. Trading away the last major bat from that era may be tough for both sides, but could be what bolsters both to reach greater heights once more.
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