The best catcher available was officially taken off the free-agent market on Thursday afternoon, as veteran backstop Yasmani Grandal signed a four-year, $73 million deal with the Chicago White Sox.

While the White Sox address a serious need by singing Grandal, the also may have just had a compounding affect on enhancing the value of another Chicago-based catcher.

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com writes that Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras has enormous value on the trade market given the number of teams that still have catching needs:

4. Contreras’ trade value is enormous.

That was the case before Grandal signed, but now the catching market becomes a lot clearer with the big fish off the board. The Cubs are trying to shore up their long-term prospects by looking for ways to capitalize on their expensive and/or expiring assets at the big league level. But while Kris Bryant’s potential availability is a big talking point among fans and media, Willson Contreras, a two-time All-Star entering arbitration for the first time this winter and under club control through 2022, is the player more likely to entice a blockbuster offer and, ergo, the player more likely to move.

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan previously reported that executives around the league expect Contreras to be made available via trade:

The Cubs have been rumored to be considering trade routes for a number of their star players, including third baseman Kris Bryant. However, it is Contreras that would likely yield the greatest return because of club control and the shortage of premium catchers.

How serious are Theo Epstein and co. about shaking things up and repositioning? Do they have enough trust in Victor Caratini to make him the starter should they deal Contreras?

Regardless, discussions are sure to ramp up over the next few weeks.