According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Houston Astros plan to meet with former Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras at the Winter Meetings beginning this Sunday.
It’s no surprise that the Astros have a lot of interest in Contreras, who reportedly were interested in the All-Star catcher last season before the trade deadline. With the Cubs and Contreras not coming to terms on an extension after the 2022 season, making him a free agent this offseason, it makes a lot of sense for the 2022 World Series champions to meet with him.
Coming off a stellar season in 2022, Contreras is easily the most sought-after catcher on the market this offseason. In 113 games, the righty batted .243 with 22 home runs, 55 RBI, 23 doubles, and an .815 OPS. For his strong first half performance he was also awarded the starting catcher spot in the All-Star game for the National League.
The Astros already have a Gold Glove catcher in Martin Maldanado, who picked up his club option for 2023. If they were to sign Contreras to a contract, he would more than likely bounce back and forth between catching and hitting in the DH spot.
After already signing former Chicago White Sox and MVP Jose Abreu last week, if the Astros were to sign Contreras this offseason, don’t be surprised if we see Houston in the World Series again for the third year in a row.
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