Chicago Cubs fans are going to hate this White Sox rumor

Oof. Not how I wanted to start my Monday morning when scrolling through anything I may have missed regarding Chicago Cubs rumors. What's worse? Willson Contreras to the St. Louis Cardinals, or Willson Contreras to the Chicago White Sox? In the tweet below, Bill Ripken explains why he thinks Contreras is a perfect fit for the south siders. Unfortunately, he's not really wrong. Contreras would be a good fit in theory. Honestly, it makes sense why it could or couldn't happen, and here's why.

For one, the biggest thing regarding a move such as this is what the White Sox are willing to do regarding Yasmani Grandal. He is still on the white sox payroll for another year with a 2023 salary of just over 18.0MM. He also had an extremely down year at the plate and only appeared in 99 games as the video states above. This season, Grandal slashed a career-worst .202/.301/.269 with 5 HR and just 27 RBI. So, you can understand wanting to move on from him, but what does that mean if the White Sox are interested in Contreras?

Willson Contreras on the Chicago White Sox? Say it ain't so.

For one, you don't want to necessarily pay two catchers on the wrong side of 30 years old 15.0MM+ each. Therefore, the Sox have a couple of options. They can simply either take on the payroll to lock up Contreras moving forward once Grandal is off the books or more intelligently, trade Grandal to free up salary and then sign Contreras in a corresponding move. Obviously, you're not going to just DFA Grandal to free space on the 40-man roster if you still have to pay him... unless you're, well, the Cubs.

However, the White Sox have stated they aren't really looking to spend this winter and instead will be looking to the trade market to further improve their roster. It was upon this article that we really started to realize Jose Abreu's days on the south side have really come to end. Then, of course, they signed Mike Clevinger. Admittedly, the Clevinger deal didn't really break the bank the way a Contreras or Abreu signing can. The Sox current estimated payroll (before Clevinger) is at 175.00M. They certainly could make a splash hypothetically if they wanted to, but more will be revealed if Jerry Reinsdorf will look to spend big the way he did just a couple of years ago.

I don't necessarily see the White Sox taking on Contreras with Grandal's salary when they could use that money, if it's even available to spend, on another more pressing need. The Sox already boast a rotation of Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and now, Clevinger. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox instead go for a splash in the outfield via the trade market or even free agency. Regarding Contreras, I think it all depends on what the Sox look to do with Grandal. With a high AAV and only one year left after a down season, his trade value is extremely low. If they do manage to move his contract, then I'll really start paying attention to Contreras as an option.