Chicago Cubs: Yasmani Grandal deal could mean a power shift in Chicago

Chicago Cubs could see improved market for Contreras

Now, there’s no way the Cubs were going to trade Willson Contreras to the White Sox. Well, almost no chance. But the Sox signing Grandal could mean that the interest in Contreras could be picking up on the trade market, as teams who had interest in Grandal begin to look elsewhere behind the dish.

Of course, we know what the two-time All-Star brings to the table. A well above-average bat with plus blocking skills and a cannon of the arm. There’s room for improvement when it comes to pitch framing, to be sure – he is not the same type of catcher that Grandal is. That being said, he’s undoubtedly among the most valuable catchers in the game today.

The Cubs lose nothing by holding onto Contreras heading into 2020. But they may stand to gain more by trading him given his inherent value and multiple years of team control. Without Grandal in the picture, that’s one less name out there for teams to consider.

As far as the balance of power in the Windy City, things still tilt in the Cubs’ favor. The White Sox have all kinds of potential with that lineup – but a lot of those guys are largely unproven, especially some of those up-and-coming names we talked about earlier.

Without reinforcements for the pitching staff, the Sox will face a tall task even reaching the postseason in 2020. Then again, if Theo Epstein doesn’t hit on his moves, we might be saying the exact same thing about the Cubs once again next year. One thing’s for sure: the Crosstown Classic just got a whole lot more interesting.