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

Chicago Cubs: 3 Trade Destinations for Willson Contreras – #2: Oakland Athletics

The second team to make this list is the Oakland Athletics. Of course, Chicago and Oakland hooked up on the Andrew Chafin deal at the trade deadline – so they’ve got a working relationship in place. Add in the fact the Athletics have a pending free agent behind the dish in Yan Gomes. Gomes, who is an unrestricted free agent after the season, is currently making $6,000,000.

The only other catcher on the A’s depth chart is Sean Murphy, who currently has a slash of .218/.310/.413 in 110 games this season. Gomes, who was acquired via the trade deadline as a rental, has hit .217/.240/.380 in 28 games with Oakland, down from his .247 career batting average. Looking at the Athletics’ top prospects, their number one prospect is a 19-year-old catcher by the name of Tyler Soderstrom – but according to MLB Pipeline, he won’t reach the big leagues until 2024.

Oakland is in the midst of a Wild Card race but is currently three games behind Boston for the second spot. With only 16 games to play, the race figures to be a good one down the stretch. If the Athletics miss the cut, though, they will look to improve their lineup and one spot they could stand to improve is behind the dish, where someone like Contreras could be a real difference-maker.