Jake Arrieta is back with the Cubs and has some elite praise for catcher Willson Contreras.
The Chicago Cubs have not made any drastic moves so far this offseason to break up the 2016 core that won a World Series. In fact, they brought back Jake Arrieta to get another member of the band back.
Arrieta returns to Chicago after three lackluster seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. This return also means he gets to work with catcher Willson Contreras once again. The former Cy Young Award winner recently shared just how highly he views the talent of Contreras behind the plate.
Arrieta is thrilled to be working with Contreras once again
The pitcher begins with the usual praise about how the catcher can manage a pitching staff. But he takes it to a whole new level saying Contreras is right up there with J.T. Realmuto as one of the best catchers in all of baseball.
Arrieta knows what he is talking about considering he spent the past two seasons with Realmuto in Philadelphia.
Contreras made his debut in 2016 and has made two All-Star Games with the Cubs since then. He also represents another player who needs a new contract soon. 2022 is his final year of arbitration before he finally hits free agency. All the focus this offseason has been on Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant, but Contreras is a part of that same conversation.
The front office is hoping the Arrieta-Contreras connection can bring back some of that former magic seen from the pitcher before he left for Philadelphia. The latter has only gotten better with time so he should be able to boost the entire staff given his continued time behind the plate. Contreras only played in 76 regular season games during the 2016 season.
The Cubs are a team facing unknown expectations until the roster becomes more clear in terms of extensions and possible trades. Having an elite catcher like Contreras handle the pitching staff should ensure plenty of stability and success in that aspect of the game.