Chicago Cubs Will Tender Willson Contreras a Qualifying Offer
Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations had his end-of-season press conference Monday, touching on a number of topics for the upcoming offseason. Hoyer touched on everything from "spending intelligently" to the seasons of several prospects like Matt Mervis, but he also confirmed that the Cubs will give Willson Contreras the qualifying offer.
The value of a qualifying offer is determined by averaging the salaries of the top-125 MLB players. Last season's was valued at $18.4 million, so it seems likely that it will remain somewhere in that same range this offseason.
The move seemed procedural after the team opted against trading the catcher in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. While it's still seen as unlikely that Contreras returns to Chicago, the Cubs can still recoup a compensatory draft pick should Contreras opt to decline the offer sign elsewhere.
The Venezuela native is coming off a resurgent year offensively after slashing .243/.349/.466 and having a career-high OPS+ of 128. The 30-year-old did work through a couple of injuries and isn't heralded for his defense at catcher, but his bat should demand a sizable contract should he choose to test the open market.
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