Willson Contreras dominated the headlines in the course of the first 4 months of the Chicago Cubs season.
Everyone needed to know the place Contreras can be despatched earlier than the Aug. 2 commerce deadline, how he was dealing with the state of affairs and the way a lot of a haul the Cubs would get in return.
For higher or worse, it was Willson, Willson, Willson.
Then got here the stunning twist. Contreras remained with the Cubs after President Jed Hoyer couldn’t discover a suitor he felt was providing sufficient worth in return. The lengthy goodbye become a clumsy “never mind,” and Contreras has since been enjoying out the string in relative silence.
Contreras was out of the beginning lineup Saturday for the third straight sport after exiting Tuesday’s sport in Toronto with left ankle soreness. Manager David Ross mentioned there was an opportunity Contreras may begin Sunday when Marcus Stroman faces Miles Mikolas within the collection finale.
As a soon-to-be free agent, it’s in Contreras’ greatest curiosity to be wholesome at season’s finish, so taking a couple of days off to recuperate is sensible. His final month has been a blended bag offensively, with Contreras hitting .192 with 5 residence runs and 10 RBIs in 13 video games since rolling his ankle within the Field of Dreams sport Aug. 11 in Dyersville, Iowa.
Sunday would be the remaining Cubs-Cardinals sport of the season, and the subsequent time the Cubs come to St. Louis in 2023, Contreras might be within the residence dugout sporting a crimson helmet.
The Cardinals are in want of a beginning catcher with Yadier Molina retiring, and Contreras figures to be the top-hitting catcher available on the market. It has been a sizzling matter on native discuss radio, although there was no indication the Cardinals would pony as much as signal Contreras, who might be asking for one thing within the neighborhood of 5 years and $100 million.
But what if the nightmare state of affairs comes true and Contreras winds up signing with the Cubs’ archrival?
“Then we’ll try to kick his butt every time we come here,” Ross mentioned earlier than Saturday’s sport. “I’ll give him an enormous hug, after which it’s like the rest. We’ll attempt to reap the benefits of him once we come right here and attempt to win the video games.
“He’s a good player, man. A three-time All-Star. I don’t think there’s anyone in the organization that is going to knock Willson Contreras and his skillset and (doesn’t) think he’s a really good player and very valuable.”
Contreras on Saturday led all catchers in OPS (.822) whereas he was tied for the lead in residence runs (21). The lack of significant curiosity in him on the commerce deadline was a topic of debate amongst scouts and executives. One scout mentioned few contending groups needed to disrupt their rotations by pairing up starters with a brand new catcher on the stretch. A former govt blamed Hoyer for not appropriately studying the market after Juan Soto was made accessible.
Either approach, Contreras’ worth to the Cubs can’t be quantified solely by his numbers. He additionally can be missed within the clubhouse, the place he has been a mentor to rookie Christopher Morel.
“I’ve been able to really appreciate him,” Morel mentioned Saturday by means of an interpreter. “Willson has been there for me. He’s been everything. He’s been supporting me since I got here. He’s never let me down.”
What has Contreras taught him most?
“How to respect the game,” Morel mentioned.
That begs the query: If everybody loves him, why can’t the Cubs re-sign Contreras?
Asked whether or not he has any say within the choice to retain Contreras and likewise if he needed him again, Ross mentioned he would “let Jed take care of” that thorny query.
“Obviously the budget and how they make out the roster, I leave up to them,” he mentioned of Hoyer and basic supervisor Carter Hawkins. “When they ask for my opinion, I give it. I think Willson is a very good player. He’s proved he’s a very good player, a winning player, a World Series champion. He’s got a really good resume, and any team he’s on is going to be better for it.”
Ross has some clout with Hoyer. So why not simply inform him that he needs Contreras again?
“Oh, I tell Jed what I want all the time,” he mentioned with a smile. “There’s a whole lot of (guys), with out naming particular names, I say what I would like, the place I believe we will enhance. But I even have to inform my children no once we go right into a sweet retailer they usually need 4 Snickers and three Reese’s. I’m most likely a bit of extra on the children’ spectrum in terms of that. I would like all of the toys, as many as we will get.
“It’s (Hoyer) and Carter’s job to stability that. I don’t know what the funds is, how all that stuff long run performs out, each minor-leaguer that we really feel like goes to return up and contribute, how that stability is.
“I know any team that gets Willson is very good. If it’s here, we’re all going to be happy. If it’s not, then another team is going to benefit from how good he plays.”
Could it’s the workforce Cubs followers hate most?
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Source: www.bostonherald.com