Among the moves the Cubs were expected to explore for players not named Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, adding a backup catcher was right there at the top of the list. The combined 2.3 fWAR they got from their backstops ranked ninth in MLB last season, but 2.6 of that came from Willson Contreras. Yes, you read that right. The trio of Victor Caratini (0.0), Taylor Davis (0.0), and Chris Gimenez (-0.3) actually brought the total down.
And that production from Contreras represented a significant drop from 2017 (3.