Last year at this time the phone lines in Wrigley Field were busy trading away three-fourths of the 2016 core. Much the same thing seems to be going on this year. The question many sports reporters and fans are asking right now is if Ian Happ and Willson Contreras the Cubs two all stars have played their last home game at Wrigley Field.
As recently as this past weekend Willson Contreras said he thinks he has yet to play his last home game as a Cub. At the end of the day, though, it is abundantly obvious that this team is in a rebuild and I believe that Happ and Willson will be traded by the August 2nd deadline.
The only way I would believe that neither will be traded is if both men are signed during the all star break this week which likely wont be happening. Happ’s value is at an all time high as he will be making his first all star appearance in LA this week after his play tremendously improved following last years trade deadline and during the off-season. With one season of team control after this season Happ is a valuable commodity on the trade market even though he has been somewhat inconsistent with the bat during his career.
As for Willson, I definitely see him going by the deadline at this point in what would wind up being a very indirect admission to fans that the Cubs are in a rebuild. As 3-time All Star who has been very consistent with the bat with the added Universal DH rule and is very solid behind the plate it would be near foolish for the Jed to keep him and still claim this is not a rebuild. There are a few teams including the Mets who took three of four at Wrigley over the weekend.
On that note, I’d like to congratulate Willson on his dream come true! He has said a few times in recent weeks that he always dreamed of starting a game at the major league level with his brother William. Well, on Tuesday that is going to be a dream come true for their family with William filling in for Harper who is out with an injury. Watching them both represent the National League in a game that no longer means anything will be fun as a fan. Especially because it is likely the last time Cubs fans will be able to say Willson is representing their favorite team!
With that… let’s play ball!