Willson Contreras’ rollercoaster of a final year under club control with the Cubs culminated with a qualifying offer decision Tuesday. The three-time All-Star catcher went from saying goodbye to Wrigley Field before the trade deadline, to almost being traded to the Astros, to returning for a final two months with the team that signed him out of Venezuela in 2009.
As expected, Contreras turned down the qualifying offer (one year, $19.65 million). He’s expected to seek a longer term contract.
