MLB insider: Don’t trade Willson Contreras away from Cubs just yet

The Chicago Cubs and Willson Contreras agreed to an arbitration agreement on Thursday. A trade deadline deal doesn’t seem imminent.

Per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, who covers the Cubs for the Worldwide Leader, the two sides settled at arbitration for $9.625 million. However, this does not make a long-term agreement a sure thing.

So, if the two sides are no closer on said long-term deal, that means Contreras is still in limbo. A popular trade deadline candidate given Contreras is an All-Star level catcher and the Cubs don’t seem intent on keeping him long-term, could he be on the move within the next few months?

Will Cubs trade Willson Contreras?

Not so fast, per MLB insider Robert Murray. That proposition could be a little closer to 50-50.

“I’m still 50-50 on whether he’s ultimately traded. A franchise catcher is hard to find and we’ve seen the Cardinals and Royals hold onto theirs for the entirety of their careers. But this gives teams interested in acquiring Contreras a firm look at his 2022 salary. One thing I find interesting: Jed Hoyer said that he wouldn’t settle once arbitration figures were exchanged. Did something change or did a midseason hearing alter his thinking?”

The Cubs do have plenty to gain by trading Contreras. He’d bring in prospects to help replenish their farm system and speed up a rebuild. They also risk losing a veteran for nothing, which would be a waste from the front office’s perspective.

Given how matters went down with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez, a trade of Contreras this season was assumed. Unless Chicago’s front office had a change of heart, or perhaps always valued the catcher position highly enough to keep negotiations open, a trade makes the most sense from the Cubs point of view.

Nonetheless, a deal is not a certainty, especially given the league’s very recent history with franchise catchers. If Contreras carries that kind of weight in the organization, a trade is not necessarily in their best interest.