Umm, F Our Lives… Willson Contreras Now in Trade Rumors

Ugh… I’m wrong… again… I really hadn’t been wrong much when it came to Chicago Cubs baseball over the past 20 years or so. It was mostly simple. I understood the nuance, it became predictable. Over the past two or three years, it has become much harder. It has become more difficult to determine what the Cubs plan was, which direction they were headed, and how things would pan out.

I blame this on Tom Ricketts really. He’s become a poor man’s Jerry Jones. The Cubs won for the first time in 108 years and the accolades, deservedly, went to the Cubs front office. Theo Epstein notched one more line on his Hall of Fame plaque and Jed Hoyer became a genius by association. Don’t get me wrong, I think the world of Jed and I think he is one of the better executives in this league. I just hope he’s able to properly manage the current roster better than Theo was able to. (Post World Series of course).

This isn’t to say that they’ve received failing grades since the 2016 season. The Cubs, because of an aggressive front office, was able to make necessary moves in July to give the team the necessary shot in the arm to play their way into the NLCS. They were able to find great additions in the 2018 season, and then possibly their greatest in-season trade happened in 2019, acquiring Nicholas Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers (seems like a decade ago).

But now, since Theo was unable to “thread the needle” and the Ricketts are crying financial losses of “biblical proportions” they are entering what looks to be a full-blown fire sale.

I am unsure how we got here, and I am not saying an organizational shift wasn’t necessary (it is). But we went from non-tendering Kyle Schwarber – a player that still fits a GIANT need the Cubs have, to trading Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini for a four-pack of teenagers.

I could understand moving Caratini this offseason. I can even understand moving Darvish (I do not understand calling either of them for a heads up, that’s shitty Mr. Hoyer). Caratini is capable of starting in this league. He has solid defensive skills and, even though his offense wasn’t great in 2020 (get in line with 70% of the league) he is a solid offensive talent. This could be his opportunity to grab more starts as Austin Nola is a replaceable guy. (Great defensively though).

So with the Cubs trading their backup catcher, you want to know the news I absolutely did not think I would hear today?

The Chicago #Cubs, after trading Yu Darvish and non-tendering Kyle Schwarber, are now extensively shopping catcher Willson Contreras. Contreras is projected to earn at least $5 million and perhaps as much as $7.4 million in salary arbitration, per @mlbtraderumors

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 29, 2020

Oh, what in the actual f*ck!

Are you serious!? I could have seen the Cubs floating Contreras around before they moved Caratini. He offered the club the biggest return. I mean, look at the return the Miami Marlins received when they traded JT Realmuto in 2019.

Catcher Jorge Alfaro, right-hander Sixto Sanchez, left-hander Will Stewart and $250,000 in international bonus slot money.

Sixto looks like a fascinating and electric young hurler, you know, the type the Cubs should have gotten in return for Yu Darvish. He shutdown the Cubs in the playoffs this season, and has a brilliant career ahead of him. Stewart is a few seasons away from an MLB roster, but if his 2018 campaign proves anything, this is a legit lefty.

But, one… I don’t think the Cubs have the ability to get a good deal for Contreras, especially since they couldn’t get a good deal for a pitcher who should have won the NL Cy Young in 2020. Next – WHO IN THE WORLD WILL CATCH!?

I am hoping that this is just a rumor and maybe the Cubs have listened to a couple of options, but have no intent (unless blown away). I would hope that Contreras is a player the Cubs look to use some of that extra cash on hand to work an extension out with. But, again… I’m going with a vote of no confidence.

Honestly, I would not be surprised to see the Cubs move Contreras, Baez, and Bryant by the end of the week for a Chipotle burrito bowl with carne asada, a Popeye’s chicken sandwich, and an In and Out 3×3 animal style.

There were also some rumors of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals potentially starting to kick the tires on Kris Bryant. It seems that since Jed Hoyer showed the league he’ll accept players that won’t contend for a roster spot until 2024-2026, perhaps there are some low-level guys that the Cubs will be interested in.

This offseason can just go f*ck right itself off.