Willson Contreras Instagram activity is latest sign Cubs are trading him

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras makes the trade rumors a little more real with recent Instagram scrub of all Cubs references. 

Willson Contreras has made it no secret that he expects to be traded by the deadline, and frankly, neither have the Chicago Cubs.

A report this week revealed that the Cubs haven’t offered Contreras a meaningful extension since 2018, and then there was the emotional embrace between Contreras and Ian Happ in what many believe to be the last home game at Wrigley for at least one, if not both, of these Cubs fan favorites.

Now, Contreras has made it all too clear that he no longer sees himself as a Cub as he scrubbed his Instagram account of any reference of his longtime team.

As of now, Contreras doesn’t have a profile photo on his Instagram, which is reminiscent of the avatars during the MLB lockout.

Contreras did all that he could to remove Cubs references from his profile, but his recent partnership with Gatorade still features him in a Cubs jersey.

Willson Contreras scrubs Instagram of Cubs references as MLB trade deadline looms

Some athletes have used the social media scrub to pressure their organizations to signing them to a bigger deal, but it’s also been an indication that a player is on their way out of the building.

During the offseason, Astros fans looked frantically for any sign that Carlos Correa would agree to stay in Houston and re-sign as a free agent. Correa eventually went to the Minnesota Twins, but that doesn’t detract from the value of social media hints. Before Freddie Freeman signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his wife Chelsea dropped a hint on her Instagram that L.A. would be his eventual destination.

In Contreras’ case, he’s not telling fans something they didn’t already know. Contreras is expected to be a valuable trading piece ahead of the deadline, projected to go anywhere from San Diego to New York to Houston to Tampa Bay, per FanSided’s Robert Murray.

Still, the social media scrub does make the heartbreaking reality a little more real for Chicago fans.