3 Cubs who survived the trade deadline but won’t be on 2023 roster
By Tim Boyle
These three Chicago cubs players survived the trade deadline but won’t be on the 2023 roster.
The Chicago Cubs continued to sell parts at this year’s trade deadline with several players now wearing the uniform of other teams. Several expected trade candidates somehow managed to stay in Chicago. Whether it was due to poor offers for them or negligence on behalf of the Cubs front office, the team left the trade deadline with many potential trade candidates.
Although they may have survived that round of the Chicago rebuild, they won’t make it through the 2022-2023 offseason.
It’s these three Cubs players who survived the 2022 trade deadline that won’t be back for the 2023 season.
1) Cubs roster will not include Willson Contreras in 2023
Willson Contreras was one of the most talked about trade candidates this past summer. No one bit.
It makes sense why. Chicago wanted a lot for their star catcher. And because he was a catcher, the number of teams interested weren’t extensive enough. It came down to the New York Mets or Tampa Bay Rays once the Houston Astros acquired Christian Vazquez. Neither club gave into what the Cubs wanted. So, Contreras stayed put.
The story could be much different for Contreras in the offseason. While he isn’t a match for as many teams as a free agent shortstop or center fielder would be, many more possibilities will open up.
The Cubs are already paying Yan Gomes $6 million next season. They aren’t quite ready to make a serious run in 2023 and could get by with a passable team around him as the starting catcher. Contreras simply doesn’t fit. By the time the Cubs are at their best again, he’ll be another year older, more battered, and closer to becoming one of those catchers you want to move to first base or the DH spot.
A lack of extension for him shows the two sides have at least been apart on a potential deal in the past. Expect him to end up somewhere else even if it’s only on a short-term contract.