Willson Contreras, Ian Happ staying with Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
After weeks of rumors and speculation, Willson Contreras and Ian Happ won’t be changing uniforms after all.
The Cubs did not trade Contreras and Happ before Tuesday’s 5 pm deadline, NBC Sports Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer confirmed. They will remain on the North Side for the rest of the 2022 season.
Contreras was long expected to be traded before the deadline, a reality that seemed to even set in with him over the last week-plus.
RELATED: Emotional Contreras: ‘I knew it would get to me at some point’
He’s set to become a free agent this winter, earned his third career All-Star nod last month and was considered one of the top bats on the trade market.
Happ was linked to seemingly every contender in rumors amid his breakout, All-Star 2022 season. He’s under club control through 2023 and was linked to seemingly every contender in rumours.
Both Contreras and Happ were emotional last week discussing the Cubs’ final homestand before the deadline — and possibly their last home games with the Cubs.
They shared a long embrace in the dugout after Tuesday’s win over Pittsburgh.
“I’m just trying to appreciate everything that Wrigley Field is and thinking of all the memories that I have here since 2016,” Contreras said last Monday. “From 2009 to now.
“This is probably my last homestand with the fans this year. It’s tough for me. It’s really tough.”
Contreras also spoke to the media after Sunday’s series finale in San Francisco — the Cubs’ last game before the deadline — and discussed the mental toll the weight of trade rumors had on him in recent weeks.
MORE: Cubs’ Willson Contreras: ‘I just want this to be over’
“This is the first time in my career that I’ve been in this position. It’s not easy. I just want this to be over,” Contreras said.
“I’ve talked to a few coaches about the situation,” he added. “It’s not easy to be there playing with all these rumours. Yeah, I’m ready for it to be over.”
What Tuesday’s news means for the future remains to be seen. Contreras and Happ both said in recent weeks they have had no extension talks with the Cubs over the last year.
For now, what’s certain is their Cubs tenures will at least continue through the next two months.
MORE: Emotional Ian Happ: ‘I don’t want my Cubs journey to end’
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