Hoyer: Report on Cubs shopping Contreras ‘fictional’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Cubs president Jed Hoyer Wednesday denied a report that the club is “excessively shopping” starting catcher Willson Contreras.
“The reports [from Tuesday] are fictional,” Hoyer told reporters. “There's no other way to say it.”
Contreras, 28, is the Cubs’ most valuable trade chip among their position player core, having two years of club control remaining at an affordable salary. Between him and Victor Caratini, catching has been a position of strength on the North Side in recent seasons.
Hoyer noted clubs have called regarding “pretty much every player” on the Cubs roster at some point this winter. However, they just dealt Caratini to the Padres, and moving Contreras would leave them with no big league catchers on their 40-man roster.
“The answer is we have really good players and I'm not in the business of talking about untouchables — I think that's a mistake,” Hoyer said. “I think Wilson Contreras is one of the top handful of catchers in baseball.
“We control him for two more years and I think that catching is a strength of this team as a result of having him on the roster.”
Hoyer added the Cubs will be in the market for a new backup to Contreras and that Miguel Amaya, their No. 3 prospect (per MLB Pipeline), is unlikely to be in the big leagues come Opening Day.
“[We’re] excited about how he's playing in winter ball and he's a great prospect, but no, he's not someone that we're penciling in,” Hoyer said of Amaya.
