Report: Willson Contreras Declines Qualifying Offer
It was never going to happen any differently.
The Chicago Cubs were never going to agree on a extension with Willson Contreras before he hit free agency. The 30-year-old was too intent on testing the open market.
And once Contreras officially became a free agent, the qualifying offer was a win-win for the Cubs.
If Contreras accepted, which he never would, the Cubs would retain their catcher on a one-year, $19.65 million deal. If he declined, which according to Jon Heyman, he has, then the Cubs gain a draft pick.
Because the Cubs do not receive revenue sharing, their compensatory pick falls after Competitive Balance Round B. In 2022, those picks were the 75th through the 80th selections in the MLB Amateur Draft.
If, of course, the Cubs do re-sign Contreras, they will be stripped of their compensation pick.
Contreras is far more valuable to the Cubs than a late-second round pick, but the organization will be happy to get anything at all for a lost asset. Even now, 14 years after he first joined the club, Contreras is still providing value despite no longer playing in Chicago.
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