The Christian Vazquez trade only lowers the return of what the Chicago Cubs can get for Willson Contreras.
Christian Vazquez is going to the Houston Astros from the Boston Red Sox. Who won the deal is one debate. Who lost it is fairly obvious. It's the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have the best catcher available in trades and yet nobody has been willing to bite. The Cubs were already in a pinch having a catcher to trade. Because it is such a unique position and the need across the sport isn't all that great, they might be left having to lower the price.
The Astros were one of the most logical places for Contreras to land. Now, with one less destination, the Cubs might have to hand Contreras over to whoever gives them the best yet underwhelming offer.
The Cubs are in a Willson Contreras pickle and the Mets can take advantage
There remains one real big trade destination for Contreras. The New York Mets, who have gotten very little offensively from their catcher duo of James McCann and Tomas Nido this season, remain in play. They also have an opening at the DH spot where Contreras could conceivably get a lot of at-bats as well.
The Mets have been interested in making a deal with the Cubs for Contreras but nothing has yet to get finalized. The asking price is the reported holdup. Unfortunately, Chicago needs the Mets much more than New York needs Contreras.
Because the Mets do have two defensively gifted catchers, they can always turn their attention elsewhere. With less than 24 hours to still strike a deal, they don't have to necessarily give into Chicago's demands.
The Cubbies already lost the San Francisco Giants as a potential destination for Contreras when they decided to fade as the summer months came in. There really haven't been too many other places for him to land although he'd be a great upgrade for many teams.
The Vazquez trade closes one door for the Cubs to trade Contreras. The already light bidding war will need a mystery team to jump into the race. Otherwise, the Cubs will have to decide if lowering the price on their All-Star catcher and sending him to the Mets is indeed something they can live with.