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Cubs stars Willson Contreras and Ian Happ possibly played their last home game together at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
As MLB’s trade deadline approaches on Aug. 2, these two players’ futures continue to be a popular topic of conversation since they are both projected to be traded.
With this in mind, the two 2022 All-Stars were the last two players in the Cubs dugout after Tuesday’s 3–2 win over the Pirates. They embraced in a long hug as Contreras kept his face buried in his teammate’s shoulder while they hugged. It was an emotional day for them, to say the least.
“I’d like to thank all the fans, because the love and support they showed me from Day 1 is priceless,” Contreras said after the game just in case he is traded, via MLB.com. “And they’re always going to keep living in my heart.”
The Cubs will now head to San Francisco to face the Giants in a four-game series. Then, Chicago will travel to St. Louis on the same day as the trade deadline. It’s possible that by then Contreras and Happ will be in different uniforms.
If, or when, Contreras leaves Chicago, this will make Jason Heyward and Kyle Hendricks the last two Cubs players left from the 2016 World Series team. The catcher was a rookie during the 2016 season, and he helped the team to its first World Series title in 108 years.
Happ’s rookie season came in ’17. Both players have only played for the Cubs thus far in their MLB careers.
So far this season, Contreras is averaging .258/.373/.470 with 14 home runs, 51 runs and 78 hits. He also leads the team with a .843 OPS average. Happ is averaging .282/.366/.446 with nine home runs, 44 runs and 96 hits. The outfielder holds a .812 OPS average.
