2022 Cleveland Guardians trade targets: catcher edition

William Contreras (Atlanta Braves)

Some fans may get upset that I’ve decided to target William and not Wilson Contreras, but hear me out. Older brother Wilson is about to turn 30 this upcoming May and is slated to make $8.5 million (or more) via his final season of arbitration. Meanwhile, William just turned 24 and won’t even be arbitration-eligible until 2025. He’s only appeared in 56 game to date, but in 2021 he did manage 13 XBH and a slash line of .225/.303/.399 in 185 plate appearances.

So why would the the Braves even consider trading him? Well, for starters they have Travis d’Arnaud, Manny Piña, and Chadwick Tromp on their current 40-man roster. Couple that along with the fact that their number-two prospect Shea Langeliers is waiting in the wings in Triple-A and it makes sense.

If the Braves want to repeat as World Series champs, they again similar to Toronto, they would likely want to add some pitching depth or potentially a middle infielder for their bench. The Guardians would and should be able to help in each of these departments. For instance a player like Yu Chang could be a nice compliantly piece to what the Braves already have established.