Cubs: 3 long-term replacements for Willson Contreras if we trade him

3) Cubs replacement for Willson Contreras: Any young prospect they acquire for him

Maybe the best answer for the Cubs behind the plate is to trade Contreras for a catching prospect. This would make a lot of sense for them to do. And the team acquiring him could even have an immediate interest in re-signing him in the offseason.

The Cubs would actually do themselves a favor by getting younger. The catcher position isn’t one you necessarily want to spend big at when the rest of your club needs more rebuilding. Acquiring a catcher prospect for him would be ideal.

There is a downside to it. The best catching prospects in the game aren’t getting traded. They are unicorns in the sport. Teams don’t let them slip away very easily. The Cubs would have to search through the second or maybe even third-tier of minor league catchers to find a possible solution.

Sean Murphy of the Oakland Athletics might be someone they could target in the offseason. However, with arbitration just beginning for him, the Athletics would be wiser to hold him hostage. He also seems to be far more Zunino than Contreras with a 17 home run campaign in 2021 with a .216 batting average and Gold Glove coming out from it.

The Cubs don’t have too many good options to fill a hole Contreras may leave. The true long-term solution might be to give themselves time to figure out the rest of the roster.