Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras and MLB’s Venezuela crisis

Chicago Cubs: Freedom for Venezuela – Contreras for President?

Having grown up a ballplayer in Venezuela and the pride he has for his home country, makes the situation very difficult for Contreras. During the Spring Season, Contreras wore and asked his team mates to wear, a T-shirt he was selling that read “Freedom for Venezuela”. The proceeds from the sale of the shirt are to go toward providing help to his countrymen and children in Venezuela with food and medicine. It’s Contreras’ way of fighting back and fighting for the kids and old people that can’t fight for themselves in Venezuela as he told Wittenmyer:

"‘‘We have a dictatorship going on in Venezuela; we hope it’s over soon,’’ Contreras said early in spring training. ‘‘I’m just tired of seeing a lot of kids dying because they don’t have nothing to eat. Venezuela’s tired of seeing a lot of old men dying because they don’t have medicine or because people cannot [afford] food.’’"

Perhaps Contreras will take a page from the book of Filipino boxing icon, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and run for elected office himself. Pacquiao who started as a mayor has made challenges toward current President Rodrigo Duterte as the next elected leader of the Philippine pacific nation. Contreras surely knows the Venezuelan people, landscape and could make an impact beyond his celebrity in baseball back in his home of Venezuela.

The Chicago Cubs don’t want to lose a great catcher and so I’m only suggesting this as a retirement job, but Willson seems the perfect temperament to hold office and lead Venezuela into a future that is bright for the children of Venezuela and baseball. He is the perfect MLB ambassador.

A free Venezuela might just need Contreras someday, for now, his focus remains the Cubs; we know there is a need for him here.