In the words of Tom Hanks: Willson!
The Cubs are seemingly ready to cast away one of the last pieces of their 2016 championship squad in Willson Contreras. Despite Contreras' seeming desire to stick in the North Side, no extension is in the works for the 30-year-old backstop, leading to expectations that he'll head elsewhere in the next week.
On Monday, the catcher got emotional when discussing his potential future with the Cubs, seemingly acknowledging that he'll be wearing another uniform after the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
It's tough. Knowing everything that's happening around, and I knew it would get to me at some point. I wish this day never came, but it's about business. I understand that, I respect that. I love my team. I don't want to get too attached to them, because you never know what's going to happen next week, or this week, in San Francisco.
#Cubs Willson Contreras says these last few days have been tough. I asked him specially why: pic.twitter.com/cyfrJKnkbI
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) July 26, 2022
If Contreras is shipped out, then an acquiring team will be getting a nice boost at the plate: Contreras has hit 14 homers this year and holds a 2.9 bWAR, slashing .258/.374/.473 through 81 games with the Cubs.
Plenty of teams could use the offense from behind the dish. Here are Contreras' top fits:
Willson Contreras landing spots
Mets
Current catchers: Tomas Nido (-0.7 bWAR); Patrick Mazeika (-0.3 bWAR); James McCann (0.4 bWAR)
The Mets are bound for the playoffs, but they're still imperfect, especially behind the plate. Contreras would be a sparkplug for a Mets offense that desperately needs output.
While top prospect Francisco Alvarez is a catcher, it feels like he might be dangled in a big-time trade for Juan Soto. If Alvarez is shipped out, the Mets would need a boost from behind the plate, anyway.
Catcher James McCann (currently on the IL) hasn't quite lived up to his deal with the team that he signed prior to the 2021 season, and Tomas Nido and Patrick Mazeika are both hitting under the Mendoza line.
The Mets have the trade capital to make a move on Contreras, pending what other moves they may have in store.
Astros
Current catchers: Martin Maldonado (-0.5 bWAR); Jason Castro (-0.5 bWAR).
The Astros are getting pretty awful production from the catcher position: Martin Maldonado is hitting .170 through 72 games, while backup Jason Castro isn't doing much, either, slashing .115/.205/.179 as part of the tandem.
What makes matters worse: Maldonado has been worth -3 framing runs in 2022, which is a far cry from what he's historically done behind the plate. Castro has produced -2 framing runs this year.
Giants
Current catchers: Joey Bart (0.3 bWAR); Curt Casali (1.1 bWAR); Austin Wynns (-0.2 bWAR)
There's good news for the Giants: Former No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart has been hitting a little bit since he was recalled in early July, so maybe he can make good on his scouting report as a great offensive catcher yet.
Still, the Giants catching situation is suboptimal even with Bart hitting: Curt Casali is on his way back from an oblique injury, but is slashing .231/325/.370 this season. Fellow backstop Austin Wynns wasn't faring much better with the bat, slashing .221/.280/.294 as part of the platoon.
The Giants are still fighting for a wild-card berth — they're 2 1/2 games back of the final spot in the NL — so they could use any help they can get.
MORE: MLB trade deadline top targets — Juan Soto, Luis Castillo headline stars
Rays
Current catchers: Francisco Mejia (0.5 bWAR); Rene Pinto (-0.2 bWAR)
The Rays aren't typically big players at the trade deadline, but they should be this year given the current state of their catchers.
Mike Zunino is out after undergoing season-ending surgery, while rookie Rene Pinto didn't exactly excite in his cup of coffee earlier this year.
Francisco Mejia has been a below-average pitch framer this year, and though his bat has been better, the Rays need more offense at the deadline to make sure they hold onto a wild-card spot.
As always with the Rays, there's a question as to whether or not they'd want to add payroll at this point in the season, even for a quality rental. Contreras would add instant offense to a unit that's been a little worse than in recent years.
Yankees
Current catchers: Jose Trevino (2.3 bWAR); Kyle Higashioka (0.0 bWAR)
The Yankees have work to do at a deadline: They've gotten nothing out of Joey Gallo and they're going to have to add to the pitching staff, so catcher might not be priority. Even still, they make for a good landing spot
While Jose Trevino earned his first All-Star bid this year, he's regressed a bit offensively in recent months, playing a bit more to the back of his baseball card.
A Contreras trade would solidify backstop the rest of the season, though it'd be tricky to figure the fit: Trevino leads the majors in framing runs, though Contreras is the much better offensive catcher. Sounds like a good catching platoon, especially over the replaceable Kyle Higashioka.
