Contreras, Cubs avoid arbitration
By Meghan Montemurro Chicago Tribune
NEW YORK — One contract unknown has been resolved for catcher Willson Contreras.
Contreras and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a one-year, $9.625 million contract Thursday, avoiding an arbitration hearing scheduled for later in the day.
The agreement was at the midpoint of the $10.25 million Contreras asked for and the $9 million the Cubs offered when figures were exchanged March 22. Arbitration hearings typically are held during spring training, but the 99-day owners lockout pushed it back. The Cubs have taken a file-andtrial approach to arbitration in past years, but this clearly was a different circumstance.
Contreras, 30, will be a free agent for the first time after the season. His play is setting him up for a big payday, whether it’s from the Cubs — his organization since signing as a teenager in 2009 — or elsewhere.
Contreras, a two-time All-Star, is hitting .277 with 10 homers, 23 RBIs, .403 on-base percentage and 161 OPS+.
No statistics after March 1 would have been admissible in arbitration other than contract and salary comparisons. The timing was set when Major League Baseball and the players association agreed to the deal that ended the lockout.
Without a contract extension, Contreras likely will be traded before the Aug. 2 deadline with the Cubs (23-33) in a rebuilding mode.
Contreras, pitcher Kyle Hendricks and outfielder Jason Heyward are the only players remaining from the 2016 World Series championship team. The Cubs traded stars Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez before last season’s deadline to add young talent to their minor-league system.
Associated Press contributed. of the season has been a state title.
“This means the world to me and means the world to our team,” Van Roekel said. “I don’t think we’ve ever won a state championship, and if we win a state championship, we’ll leave a legacy and we’ll leave a culture for the guys who are stepping up next year.”
As a freshman, Van Roekel also played soccer. As a sophomore, he switched to tennis, a sport he hadn’t played competitively. He took over at No. 1 singles as a senior.
“The community at Illiana, I love it,” Van Roekel said. “Everybody pulls for one another.”
Van Roekel’s athletic career will come to an end whenever the baseball team’s run ends. He plans to study business at Purdue Northwest.
“This is the last hurrah,” Van Roekel said. “Just keep on winning and trying to drag it out as long as possible. Because once it’s over, it’s over.
“It’s just great to be playing with these guys. I love it. It’s enjoyable to win. It’s fun to win games. I want this season to last as long as we can.”