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Despite being offered a high-priced qualifying offer, Chicago Cubs All-Star catcher Willson Contreras will become a free agent in the 2023 offseason. Contreras is coming off the best season of his career, where he was an offensive threat and a defensive stalwart behind home plate. Now, as it seems his time in Chicago has come to an end, he will likely have no shortage of suitors.
This is a bitter pill to swallow for Cubs fans, since Contreras was one of the last remaining pieces of the 2016 World Series team. Not only is he still a great player, there is a sentimental connection being severed as well. However, that is how the MLB works, even if it never gets easier for fans to deal with.
Jon Heyman reported on Willson Contreras' pending free agency via Twitter.
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The Chocago Cubs clearly have an interest in retaining Contreras. There is still some hope of a reunion. Unfortunately, many believe he would have accepted the qualifying offer if he intended to stay with the Cubs. This outcome has been predicted for some time, but still hits many fans hard.
The Chicago Cubs are coming off a very disappointing 2022 season, and this loss compounds their issues. They struggled to find any consistency and missed the playoffs yet again. Now, they will be losing both a locker room leader and one of their top on-field players. This will not be an easy loss to overcome, and their fans are well aware of that.
Of course, it did not take long for fans of catcher-needy teams to come out of the woodwork. While obvious suitors like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were accounted for, there is no shortage of potential homes for the free agent catcher.
The loss of Willson Contreras will need to be addressed by the Chicago Cubs this offseason.
The Chicago Cubs are surrounded by questions heading into the 2022 offseason
The Cubs ended the 2022 season 14 games below .500 and were well outside the playoff chase. For a team with such a strong history and tradition, this is a disappointing result. Unfortunately, the team has many holes that need to be filled.
Whether it be in the dugout or the bullpen, the Chicago Cubs need to improve. While it may be difficult to lure star players out of free agency, they can take this offseason to build their depth. It may not be flashy, but it could generate the long-term success their fans long for.
