The Chicago Cubs and their All-Star catcher Willson Contreras managed to get a deal done before their scheduled arbitration hearing next Tuesday. According to ESPN, Contreras inked a new contract that will pay him $9.625 million in 2022.
Contreras and the Cubs met halfway, considering that the player asked $10.25 million salary while the organization submitted a $9 million offer for arbitration. The two sides hammered out a deal despite Chicago’s president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer saying earlier in 2022 that the team intends to go to a hearing.
The Cubs will be happy to keep Contreras, considering that the 30-year-old player is having one of his best seasons as a pro. He played 47 games so far in 2022 and is currently hitting .277 with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs. Unfortunately, this isn’t helping his team much as Chicago is currently fourth in NL Central with a 23-33 record.
Willson Contreras spent his entire career with the Chicago Cubs, who gave him his major league debut in 2016. He made two All-Star appearances and was part of the team that won the first World Series for the Cubs since 1908. Contreras’ MLB stats include a .260 batting average, 105 homers, and 333 RBIs.
