3 free agent contracts Cubs should’ve matched this offseason
By Tim Boyle
The Chicago Cubs should have met or exceeded the contract offers these three free agents agreed to.
The Chicago Cubs spent money this offseason and took some chances on other free agents. Headed in the right direction, there are a couple of free agent contracts they should’ve matched.
Certain parts of the Cubs roster could look much better with a few different decisions this offseason. These three players stand out as the most reasonable targets they could have signed.
1) Cubs should have matched what the Cardinals paid Willson Contreras
Letting Willson Contreras walk was huge. Letting him sign with the St. Louis Cardinals adds to the storyline.
The five-year deal worth $87.5 million is a massive deal for any player, especially a catcher. The Cubs would have been paying one of their homegrown players a lot of money. It’s something they haven’t done in recent years, trading several core members of the franchise away in the ongoing rebuild.
Big deals like that for a catcher can age poorly. However, with the DH in the National League, there is an obvious transition for Contreras to make as the years go on.
Instead of Contreras, the team signed Tucker Barnhart to a two-year deal worth $6.5 million. He’ll share catching duties with Yan Gomes. It’s a big downgrade. Neither has the same offensive abilities Contreras gave the Cubs over the last few seasons.
Only a handful of catchers can hit the way Contreras does. They come at a high cost. Apparently, it was too steep for what Chicago was willing to pay. So Contreras went to the last place any fan would like to see him end up.
When Contreras poses with the World Series trophy in the next five years, the Cubs will realize they should have kept him around.