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Willson Contreras rumors: 5 free agent destinations to make the Cubs pay

By Tim Boyle

ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 26: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs hits a two RBI single during the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 26, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 26: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs hits a two RBI single during the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 26, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images) /
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Willson Contreras rumors, Chicago Cubs
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 06: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs prior to the start of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 06, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

5 free agency destinations for Willson Contreras: Chicago White Sox

If we consider the Cardinals to be the Yankees to the Cubs’ version of the Red Sox then the Chicago White Sox would be their New York Mets. Only a handful of teams in North American share a geographical location where one side of the street could logically root for one club and the other side cheers for another. That’s a case in Chicago where they have two MLB teams.

The White Sox do have Yasmani Grandal under contract next year for a whopping $18.25 million. Maybe this does prevent them from swinging big for Willson Contreras. Maybe they accept the fact that the Grandal signing hasn’t worked out and they need to start looking for an answer elsewhere.

Grandal has had a miserable 2022 season. It hasn’t been a bed of roses for him since joining the White Sox for the 2020 season. While he did post fantastic OBP numbers of .351 then .420 in 2020 and 2021, he has been unremarkable this year before landing on the IL.

By this stage of his career, Grandal feels more like a DH than an actual catcher. With this in mind, maybe the White Sox do successfully find room for Contreras. The only thing that may have them looking elsewhere is the fear of history repeating itself. Contreras could very well end up mimicking Grandal’s Southside performance.

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