The Cubs are on the hunt for a veteran catcher, and Chicago may turn to a Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros World Series champion.
Willson Contreras declined the one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer from the Cubs, making the All-Star the top catcher on the Major League Baseball free agent market.
The 30-year-old’s name was thrown around at the trade deadline this past season, but the Cubs didn’t bite on a potential move. It is unlikely Contreras re-signs with Chicago, which is why the Cubs front office will be on the lookout for a replacement at the position.
Chicago reportedly have discussed Christian Vázquez and Omar Narváez as options internally, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma. They would be paired with All-Star veteran Yan Gomes.
While Vázquez and Narváez are not one-to-one replacements for Contreras, they are still All-Star caliber starters who can help round out a Cubs roster seeking to rebound from a disappointing season.
Chicago are not only looking to at the catcher position in free agency. It also has interest in the top shortstops on the market: Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts.
The first week of MLB free agency was relatively quiet, but with all the rumors and speculation flying around, big signings appear to be imminent.
