Report: Cubs, Astros had Willson Contreras deadline commerce in place 

After months of commerce rumors and hypothesis round Willson Contreras, the Cubs in the end held on to their All-Star catcher on the Aug. 2 deadline.

And a brand new report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan sheds some mild on how shut a deal was to coming to fruition.

In response to Passan, citing 4 sources, the Cubs and Astros had agreed on a 1-for-1 commerce of Contreras for beginning pitcher José Urquidy on the deadline that was pending the approval of Houston proprietor Jim Crane. That approval by no means got here.

Moreover, in keeping with Passan, Astros supervisor Dusty Baker expressed his opposition to the potential commerce.

“A lot as I like Willson Contreras, Urquidy was one among our greatest pitchers then,” Baker informed Passan. “I wanted a man that wasn’t going to complain about not taking part in day-after-day. And that is his [free agent] yr. See, that is powerful. Once you commerce for a participant in his [free agent] yr. Everyone’s about numbers and stuff, and I am unable to blame them, little doubt. However that is not what we would have liked.”

It was extensively anticipated the Cubs would commerce Contreras, who went via a number of emotional goodbyes, on the deadline to recouple worth earlier than his free company this winter. Kris Bryant, Javy Báez and Anthony Rizzo have been in comparable positions when traded in 2021. 

After deadline handed and not using a deal, workforce president Jed Hoyer instructed the 2021 selloff may need influenced the sensation a Contreras commerce was a certainty. 

 

“I have been in communication along with his brokers all through the month,” Hoyer mentioned on Aug. 2. “We by no means gave any message to anybody that was like, ‘We’ll commerce him in any respect prices.’ 

“We have been clearly going to debate him with groups, and if it is sensible for the Cubs, we’ll do it. I feel he knew that, however clearly I feel there was the belief primarily based on final yr that we might do it.”

Urquidy, 27, would have addressed a Cubs want as a reliable starter underneath membership management. He is arbitration-eligible via 2025 and made 28 begins in 2022, ending with a 3.94 ERA in 164 1/3 innings.

Contreras formally turned a free agent on Sunday with the conclusion of the World Sequence and has seemingly performed his final sport with the Cubs after seven seasons and 14 within the group.

The Cubs will tender the three-time All-Star a qualifying supply, price $19.65 million, Hoyer said last month.

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