3 trades Chaim Bloom needs to make before the Red Sox season is lost

Red Sox trade for Willson Contreras and get All-Star help behind the plate

In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series title in 108 years. Among the players celebrating on the field in Cleveland that magical night, Anthony Rizzo is gone. Kris Bryant is gone. Javier Baez is gone. Six years later, just three players remain on the Cubs roster that brought a championship back to the North Side.

Willson Contreras is one of them, but, with free agency looming for the Cubs long-time catcher, his career in Chicago is rapidly coming to a close. That could be good news for the Red Sox, who need some help behind the plate.

Christian Vazquez once looked like he would be Boston’s long-term answer at the position. In 2019-20, he hit 30 home runs and had an OPS hovering around .800. But that declined significantly in 2021, dropping 140 points to .659. He hasn’t been much better so far in 2022, batting just .215 with one home run in 22 games.

Vazquez is also a free agent after this season, and should the Red Sox decide to move on, Contreras would be an ideal short-term solution. Since 2019, Contreras is third among catchers in home runs and second to Yasmani Grandal in OPS. He has the power that seems to have deserted Vazquez and the ability to hit for average and get on-base. His OPS this season is nearly 300 points higher than Vazquez’s, his on-base percentage 140 points higher.

The Cubs have lost 15 of 20 games since beginning the season 4-2. The glory days of 2016 are but a distant memory now. There are few links between that championship club and the current Cubs. And with Contreras on the trading block, it’s a reminder for the Cubs that the luster of a World Series title doesn’t last forever.