Chicago Cubs: What does the Yan Gomes signing mean for Willson Contreras?

On Monday morning, the Chicago Cubs signed veteran catcher Yan Gomes to a two-year, $13 million deal with an option for a third year. The move definitely raised eyebrows because Gomes has been a starting catcher for majority of his career, something the Cubs already have. So the question being asked is, what does this mean for Willson Contreras?

Contreras, one of the only players left from the former core, has been a name that has come up in plenty of trade rumors over the past couple seasons. When the Cubs signed Gomes, a lot of fans took it as a clear-cut sign their beloved Contreras might be packing his bags soon. Now, there is a chance Gomes and Contreras switch off at catcher; especially with the DH most likely coming to the National League, but a signing like this definitely makes you consider all the possible routes forward from here.

Based of the looks of it, Contreras doesn’t seem very happy with the decision the front office made. The catcher tweeted out a very cryptic message of emoji planes flying away, and he even liked a tweet saying that he should replace Yadier Molina after he retires. *Insert throw up emoji*

https://twitter.com/wcontreras40/status/1465719425634549761?s=21

Chicago Cubs: What’s next for All-Star catcher Willson Contreras?

Only time will tell what Chicago will do with Contreras. Yes, they could get good value out of a trade given the weakness of the catching market, but he’s yet to be connected in any sort of concrete rumors this winter. But if they aren’t having extension talks (which is what we’ve heard) – why bother keeping him heading into next year?

2022 marks the final year of Contreras’ contract and if he doesn’t want to sign an extension before the start of the season, maybe it’s time to get the most value out of him now rather than later. Especially because with Gomes, the Cubs don’t have a need to find a new catcher. Gomes is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and he would fit just fine into this lineup everyday.

It will hurt to see another one of our star players go but early impressions from this offseason seem to indicate the Cubs really do not want to contend this upcoming year. I think as we get deeper into the winter months, we will begin to get a better idea of what’s going to happen with Contreras. For now, he is still a Cub but I wouldn’t recommend asking for his jersey this holiday season.