As the trade deadline is approaching, teams striving to make the postseason will be hungry to buy, and teams heading towards mediocrity or a rebuild will be looking to sell. With that in mind, one player that should be a hot commodity is catcher Willson Contreras. Contreras is having a fantastic season at the plate hitting .256/.371/.466 (137 wRC+) making him an instant upgrade to almost every team’s catching situation. Since he’s set to become a free agent after the season and the Cubs seemingly do not have a direction for their future, it’s a matter of when not if Contreras will be dealt by the deadline. With all of this in mind, here are four teams that should be interested in Contreras along with mock trades.
New York Mets
The New York Mets have the sixth best wRC+ in baseball (110), but they have received almost no offensive production from their catchers as they have combined for an atrocious 52 wRC+ (second worst in MLB). Although they have prized prospect Francisco Alvarez in AAA, he’s probably not ready to make his MLB debut until 2023. Contreras almost seems like a perfect fit for the Mets because they desperately need to improve behind the plate between now and when Alvarez is ready to be called up. With Contreras on an expiring contract, the Mets won’t need to break the bank in order to acquire the All Star catcher.
1. | Brandon Nimmo CF |
2. | Starling Marte RF |
3. | Francisco Lindor SS |
4. | Pete Alonso 1B |
5. | Daniel Vogelbach DH |
6. | Willson Contreras C |
7. | Jeff McNeil 2B |
8. | Mark Canha LF |
9. | Eduardo Escobar 3B |
Mock trade:
Mets receive: Wilson Contreras, David Robertson
Cubs receive: Mark Vientos, Dominic Hamel, Dominic Smith
Package details:
- Mark Vientos (1B/3B/OF) (5th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 8th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 45 FV)
- Dominic Hamel (RHP) (9th best prospect in the organization by MLB.com, 15th best prospect in the organization by FanGraphs, 40 FV)
- Dominic Smith (1B/OF) (.246,.308/.424 (100 wRC+), -0.1 fWAR in 447 MLB games, controlled through 2024)
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros have the fourth best team wRC+ (120) and position player fWAR (18.8), but they’ve received negative value from their backstops. Astros catchers have combined for -0.9 fWAR (worst in MLB), 50 wRC+ (worst in MLB), and all three of their catchers have a negative DRS and FRM. Although the Astros love Martin Maldonado and he does a great job managing the team’s pitching staff, they could really use an upgrade. Veteran Jason Castro — who was having a horrible season — has a knee injury that might bring him into retirement and rookie Korey Lee has really struggled in his first big league stint. Moving Maldonado into a backup role while bringing in Contreras as the everyday catcher could make an already great Astros lineup even deeper.
1. | Jose Altuve 2B |
2. | Willson Contreras C |
3. | Yordan Alvarez LF |
4. | Alex Bregman 3B |
5. | Michael Brantley DH |
6. | Kyle Tucker RF |
7. | Jeremy Peña SS |
8. | Yuli Gurriel 1B |
9. | Jake Meyers CF |
Mock trade:
Astros receive: Willson Contreras
Cubs receive: Colin Barber, Joe Perez, J.J. Matijevic
Package details:
- Colin Barber (OF) (5th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 2nd best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 45 FV)
- Joe Perez (3B/1B) (8th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 9th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 40+ FV)
- J.J. Matijevic (1B) (30th ranked prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 23rd ranked prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 35+ FV, .196/.255/.353 (75 wRC+) in 24 MLB games)
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians are only two games behind the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central lead and are only 2.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot. Willson Contreras would be a perfect fit for the Guardians if they are serious about competing for a playoff spot. So far this season, the Guardians’ primary catchers have both been around replacement level as Luke Maile has a 0.2 fWAR and Austin Hedges has a 0.0 fWAR. Additionally, Franmil Reyes has been atrocious at the plate this season with a 70 wRC+, so the Guardians could opt to have Contreras DH if they prefer.
1. | Steven Kwan LF |
2. | Willson Contreras C |
3. | Jose Ramirez 3B |
4. | Josh Naylor 1B |
5. | Andres Giminez 2B |
6. | Amed Rosario SS |
7. | Nolan Jones RF |
8. | Franmil Reyes DH |
9. | Myles Straw CF |
Mock trade:
Guardians acquire: Willson Contreras
Cubs acquire: Angel Martinez, Petey Halpin
Package details:
- Angel Martinez (10th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com and FanGraphs, 45 FV)
- Petey Halpin (OF) (14th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 17th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 45 FV)
San Diego Padres
Jorge Alfaro has had a shockingly good season for the Padres hitting .277/.312/.446 (114 wRC+) with a 1.2 fWAR, but I’m not sure how sustainable his offensive production is. Alfaro’s .398 BABIP is the highest in Major League Baseball (minimum 200 ABs), his 34.8 K% is in the second percentile, and his 4.7 BB% is in the seventh percentile. Additionally, fellow backstop Austin Nola has a -0.2 fWAR, so the Padres would add a lot more stability by acquiring Contreras. With Fernando Tatis Jr. set to come back and by adding another big bat in Contreras, the Padres’ current below average offense would likely become well above average.
1. | Jurickson Profar LF |
2. | Fernando Tatis Jr. SS |
3. | Manny Machado 3B |
4. | Willson Contreras C |
5. | Jake Cronenworth 2B |
6. | Luke Voit DH |
7. | Eric Hosmer 1B |
8. | Nomar Mazara RF |
9. | Trent Grisham CF |
Mock trade:
Padres acquire: Willson Contreras
Cubs acquire: Samuel Zavala, Jarlin Susana, Eguy Rosario
Package details:
- Samuel Zavala (OF) (10th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 7th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 40+ FV)
- Jarlin Susana (RHP) (15th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 8th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 40+ FV)
- Eguy Rosario (2B/3B) (5th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 13th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 40 FV)
I am a freshman studying magazine, news and digital journalism at the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications