The Chicago Cubs are going through a real rough stretch right now. They entered play Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals losers of 12 of their last 13 games, putting them on track to have a fire sale ahead of the trade deadline.

In Friday's game, things only got more painful. Starting catcher Willson Contreras took a 98 mph fastball from Luis Garcia right to the head. The sound of the impact is enough to make you squirm:

Somehow, Contreras was able to stay in the game despite how bad this looked and sounded. The Cubs catcher is so lucky this pitch didn't seriously injure him.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) points after he hit a two run home run against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field.
Cubs’ Dansby Swanson blasts 10th home run on Rivalry Weekend
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) smiles before a game between the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks .
Cubs’ Craig Counsell reacts to Orioles’ firing of Brandon Hyde
nolan arenado, chicago cubs, st. louis cardinals
Cubs’ perfect Nolan Arenado trade proposal to Cardinals

It's one of the few lucky things about the Cubs these days. As mentioned, they're in the midst of a brutal slump that has seen them go from first place in the NL Central to way behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead of being buyers ahead of the deadline, they will be sellers.

Willson Contreras is a candidate to be traded, but The Athletic reports skepticism that he'll be moved. Guys like Craig Kimbrel and Kris Bryant are more likely to be dealt, with other core pieces such as Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez also potentially on the way out.

Chicago is in line for a major retooling over these next few years. The Cubs were able to end their World Series drought in 2016 and had a nice run of sustained success under Theo Epstein, but now it's all crashing down. Big changes are on the horizon in Chicago.