3 Chicago Cubs players guaranteed to be traded before the deadline
By Tim Boyle
These three current members of the Chicago Cubs roster will not be with the team after the trade deadline.
Chicago Cubs fans will not be treated to any October magic this year. For the second straight season, they are expected to be one of MLB’s top sellers.
The Cubs began the first phase of their rebuild last summer when they traded away Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and a few others. They spent their offseason adding some quality players to the team. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out so well.
The Cubs roster should have some major changes to it after the trade deadline. Notably, the absence of several key players who will be traded away.
1) Willson Contreras will not be on the Cubs roster after the trade deadline
Unless the Cubs decide to give him the 2021 Trevor Story trade deadline treatment, Willson Contreras has zero chance of being on the team after the trade deadline. They need to trade him. Nothing else makes sense.
This won’t even end his time in Chicago necessarily. Contreras would still be a fit to return to the Cubs in free agency if that’s the path they choose to take behind the plate. This season, they do need to flip him for some young players then look into a reunion in free agency.
Because the Cubs have gotten to this point where Contreras isn’t signed to an extension, they risk too much hoping to get a deal done with him in the future. They benefit themselves and him by trading away the club’s longtime backstop for some future assets.
The big question with him is how many teams out there are interested in adding a catcher midseason and all of the quirks—like learning to work with an unfamiliar pitching staff—that comes with it.