Chicago Cubs: 2 off-the-wall and 1 likely Willson Contreras trade destinations

The Chicago Cubs are at a fork in the road. After a near-total dismantling of the team at the trade deadline, fans were left with a copious amount of questions and pretty much nothing but speculation regarding the future of the team. Though Jed Hoyer had said “Big money spending will be back soon enough“, we also learned the front office wasn’t even being regarding efforts they made in extending the core, particularly Kris Bryant, who openly stated the two sides hadn’t had contract talks since early 2017.

If anyone from the core were to end up sticking around, most assumed it would be Anthony Rizzo – or maybe Javier Baez. Neither came to fruition. Instead, everyone was up for grabs for the right price. Does this mean the team is looking to build from here or will they continue to dismantle over the winter in the form of moving Kyle Hendricks or even Willson Contreras?

Contreras, in particular, has stated he would be happy to stay long-term and have the Cubs rebuild around him. However, both Bryant and Baez went on the record countless times stating their love for Chicago and a desire to be Cubs for life. Unfortunately, baseball is a business. Loyalty in the sport grows rarer by the day. An athlete does not find themselves signing a long-term deal simply because they want to.

If the Cubs really are set to “re-tool” this roster, saving money by moving Contreras and re-signing Robinson Chirinos would be the cheaper option for the team looking ahead to 2022. Though Hoyer and crew would receive a haul as All-Star catchers are hard to come by, they would be foolish to let Contreras go. Given the front office’s unpredictability, though, let’s look at three potential teams that could come calling to inquire about Contreras’ services this winter