How ‘bout the timing of that Martín Maldonado trade, huh? Just a few days after dealing the veteran backstop to Houston for Tony Kemp, a move believed to be at least partially motivated by a need to clear salary for subsequent trades, the Cubs lost Willson Contreras for four weeks to a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
While it’s possible to look at the Maldonado trade in light of recent developments and rail against the Cubs’ inexplicable frugality or their lack of foresight, the timing really skews things. You can’t anticipate injuries and it was pretty evident that the Cubs weren’t going to be carrying three catchers, one of whom wasn’t hitting his weight, given their other needs.