(Chicago) Wide receiver Willson Contreras and the Chicago Cubs avoided a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for later in the afternoon, offering him a one-year, $9.625 million contract on Thursday.
This deal is halfway between the $10.25 million salary Contreras coveted and the $9 million the Cubs wanted to offer him when the two parties met on March 22.
Contreras, 30, hit .237 with 21 home runs and 57 RBIs in 128 games last season, leading the assist column among National League wide receivers for the third time.
He’s hitting .277 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs so far this season, and will be eligible for free agency after the World Series.
