The Chicago Cubs have fielded trade offers for multiple players throughout the season. Several World Series contenders could use some of their veterans, starting with Willson Contreras.
One of the best hitters at his position in all Major League Baseball, Contreras was labeled as a prime trade candidate since the offseason, as he's poised to become a free agent at the end of the campaign.
Contreras had been quite patient and mature about this subject. However, as the deadline zooms in and the rumors pile up, he just wants this to be over:
“I just want this to be over,” Contreras said. “If they’re going to trade me, they’re going to trade me. If they don’t want to trade me, they don’t. But I just want this day to pass and keep focused on playing baseball. I just want this to be over.”
The Venezuelan star doesn't hold grudges against the organization. He knows they're trying to do what's best for the team. Even so, he's sick and tired of the rumblings:
“I know you guys are trying to do your job and I’m OK with that,” Contreras said. “But I feel like I was saying the same thing over and over because I don’t know what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen. I didn’t want to say anything that I would regret later.”
Manager David Ross knows Contreras' mind is somewhere else right now, but it's not like you could blame him. He knows his future is up in the air and that's tough to deal with, even if you're a pro athlete:
“Mentally, he’s wondering what’s going on,” Ross said. “I don’t blame him. We’ve seen he’s an emotional player, in a great way. We’ve seen a lot of things that are important to him and he’s had to deal with. I would think that would affect anybody.”
Also, as much as he thinks he may not be traded, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that there's no way he's not in a different uniform by August 3:
"It’s only a matter of time before the Cubs trade All-Star catcher Willson Contreras and righty reliever David Robertson," Rosenthal wrote. "But will they be packaged together or traded separately? The Mets, Padres, Astros and Rays are all in play for Contreras, with the Mets and Padres more likely to acquire Contreras and Robertson in a package deal than the Astros or Rays."
It's been an incredible ride for Contreras, but it's just how this business goes.
