Report: Willson Contreras Will Decline Qualifying Offer

ESPN's Jesse Rogers confirmed what was widely expected, Willson Contreras will decline the Chicago Cubs qualifying offer.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that Willson Contreras will decline the Chicago Cubs' qualifying offer and hit free agency. Contreras is coming off one of the best seasons of his career.

The catcher set a career-best mark at wRC+ with 132 and struck out at a career-low rate of 21.1%.  The Venezuela-native should be at the top of the list for teams in search of an offensive-minded backstop. Contreras has also eclipsed 20 home runs in in 2022 for the fourth time in his career.

The Cubs, surprisingly, did not deal the 30-year-old at the trade deadline, and instead opted to give Contreras the qualifying offer. With the backstop declining the offer, Chicago officially has just one player, Kyle Hendricks, remaining from the World Series-winning 2016 Cubs. 

Chicago is now entitled to an extra draft pick in 2023, the positioning of which will depend on the value of Contreras' next contract. 

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