CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 25: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs this a RBI single in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on September 25, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
These five Willson Contreras free agent destinations could make the Chicago Cubs pay for letting him go.
Before we get to the Willson Contreras rumors regarding his impending free agency, there is plenty of buzz about where the Chicago Cubs may trade him. Contreras is expected to get dealt ahead of his first trip into free agency. It’s only logical for the Cubs to move him even if they do have intentions of trying to re-sign him over the winter.
But what if they don’t? What if the dream scenario of trading him for prospects then bringing him back doesn’t pan out?
It’s not an entirely outrageous proposal yet nothing guarantees Contreras would even have much interest in remaining through a rebuilding phase for the Cubs. Because he has gotten this far without a contract extension, one has to wonder if they can ever come to terms on a deal. If he does slip away from the Cubs, these five teams should start circling with an eye to make Chicago pay.
5 free agency destinations for Willson Contreras: St. Louis Cardinals
This is the nightmare of nightmare scenarios involving the future of Willson Contreras. The only thing that could make it worse is if he ends up winning a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The feud between the Cubs and Cardinals might not get as much national attention as the one between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The East Coast bias has ignored what is one of the best rivalries in the game. The Cardinals have been the Yankees to the Cubs’ version of the Midwest Red Sox. The Cardinals always seem to have a contender if only a short break to rebuild. The Cubs have only a single championship in the last 100+ years.
Contreras would be an obvious fit to sign with the Cardinals because of the impending hole at catcher. Yadier Molina will be gone after this season, leaving them to look for external options or hope prospect Ivan Herrera can handle the duties.
Nobody can make the Cubs pay more for letting Contreras leave than the Cardinals can.