Willson Contreras, to the surprise of many, is still a Chicago Cub after the MLB Trade Deadline came and went earlier this week.
This apparently even came as a stunner to the Cubs’ official team store at Wrigley Field, as Chicago Tribune columnist Paul Sullivan pointed out that the star catcher’s jersey had been taken off the shelves.
Even Nick Madrigal, who is batting .222 with no home runs and two RBIs in his first season with the Cubs, has a jersey up on a hanger in the shop.
In the lead-up to the deadline, there were all sorts of rumors and innuendo that Contreras’ time with the team was dwindling. The Mets were said to be heavily interested in procuring his services.
The writing had been on the wall after the Cubs neglected to make Contreras, a free agent after the season, a long-term offer to retain him.
Contreras himself even gave what seemed to be an emotional goodbye to the Wrigley faithful in what he must have thought would be his final home game.
Nonetheless, Contreras, one of the final remaining core players from the Cubs’ magical 2016 World Series run, remains a member of the team.
Whether or not contract talks could reignite given that he is still under club control remains to be seen, but Cubs fans at least have a couple more months to watch him play for their team.
