MLB rumors: 5 favorites to trade for Willson Contreras
By Tim Boyle
Expect plenty of MLB rumors about the Chicago Cubs shopping Willson Contreras to any of these five favorites to land him.
Willson Contreras is one of several Chicago Cubs players who should get shopped at this year’s trade deadline and headline many MLB rumors this summer. His chances are greater than most of his teammates. As a catcher, he might be easily the best available option for teams to pick up at the deadline and improve the position offensively, defensively, or both. Also just a rental, he’s a candidate any team could use to temporarily plug in behind the plate or even give some starts to as the DH.
The longtime Cubs catcher is going to have many suitors. Some of the best may not even be quite known just yet. One foul tip could change a team’s need in a second.
Which teams should we suspect have their organization linked to future MLB rumors involving Contreras? These five look like early favorites.
5) MLB rumors: Houston Astros could see a need to boost their offense with Willson Contreras
The catching duo of Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro is unique. Both playing in their age 35 season, they are essentially the same player but hitting from different sides of the plate. Maldonado is the righty while Castro is the lefty. Each has a good relationship with the Houston Astros. This year neither is hitting all that much.
They’d both work well as a backup or part of a platoon with a guy who can rake. Together, it’s a curious pairing on a team as good as the Astros.
The Astros went into the year punting offense from their catchers. If they change their mind, a deal for Contreras could give them an added boost.
An injury to either catcher makes this a more obvious move for Houston to make. Because they would have to DFA one of them, there is a roadblock already in place. Houston could always flip one of those catchers to a team in need of an upgrade as a backstop. Just because it may require another transaction doesn’t mean we should dismiss the possibility of MLB rumors linking the Astros to the best catcher available at this year’s trade deadline.