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The Chicago Cubs need to trade Willson Contreras right nowVincent Pariseon May 9, 2022 at 11:00 am

ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 28: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs reacts during the first inning of an MLB game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on April 28, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Chicago Cubs are a very bad baseball team. In the last week or so, they were swept by both the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. They aren’t even in the same stratosphere as two-division contenders like that which is why they have lost five straight games.

They have almost everyone on the team underperforming to the point where they are sending guys like Frank Schwindel back to AAA because he’s been so bad. They are now 9-18 which is just a really bad look. They have a -20 run differential and they have a 21-0 win on the season. That’s bad.

One person (there are still a few others) who might still be worth watching is Willson Contreras. He has a lot of power in his bat, has a cannon of an arm from behind the plate, and is a real leader in a good locker room. The man is obsessed with winning.

The problem with Contreras is that he is a catcher on the wrong side of 30 looking for a big-money deal. He deserves it for everything that he has done but the Cubs are not the right team to do it for him. Yeah, it’d be nice to see him stay with the club if you’re a Cubs fan but that isn’t fair to him.

It is time for the Chicago Cubs to trade Willson Contreras to a contender.

He deserves to be in the playoffs helping teams compete for the World Series. By the time the Cubs get back to that level, he will be well past his prime. That is why they need to trade him right now.

He is on an expiring contract which makes him a rental unless he immediately signs an extension with whatever team acquires him. The Cubs should have traded him last offseason but Jed Hoyer isn’t a fan of getting the most out of his assets (see 2021 trade deadline).

Contreras would be valuable to whatever team landed him because of his ability to catch but the bat is where he makes his money. He is also versatile and could DH as well. Even National League teams can take advantage of that DH now which gives them even more options.

It is sad to say because he seems to love playing for the Cubs and his resume speaks for itself but it is time. His value diminishes with each passing day so they really shouldn’t wait for all the way until the trade deadline.

If they do, they won’t get the best value. either way, baseball fans want to see competitors like him in the playoffs.