Cubs Avoid Arbitration With Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber And Javier Baez

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to deals with a handful of their star players.

After coming to an agreement with superstar third baseman Kris Bryant earlier in the day, the Cubs have managed to avoid arbitration with a trio of their core members, beginning with star catcher Willson Contreras.

Cubs settle with Willson Contreras. $4.5 million for 2020
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) January 10, 2020

Contreras, who posted a career-high 127 wRC+ in 2019, is set to earn $4.5 million for the 2020 season. His 2.7 fWAR ranked seventh among all catchers last year.

The Cubs also came to an agreement with outfielder Kyle Schwarber on a deal for 2020 worth a hair more than $7 million. Schwarber finished last year with 38 home runs and an .871 OPS, both of which were the highest marks of his career.

Cubs settle with Kyle Schwarber. $7 mil + $10,000 for 2020.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) January 10, 2020

Javier Baez joined in on the fun as well, coming to terms with the team on a $10 million deal. The deal is nearly double what he earned last year, and it comes in the wake of his second consecutive All-Star season.

Infielder Javier Baez and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract, sources with knowledge of the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 10, 2020

With these stars now officially locked up for next year, the Cubs now have quite a few more options available to them. Now that their salaries are set in stone, they have a better understanding of what their financial situation is.

For a team that's looking to keep payroll low, these deals could finally open up the door to some movement in the offseason market.