Not so long ago, the Chicago Cubs were a strong World Series contender. Now, they're heading into the future without most of their championship-winning core and are expected to make even more moves.
That leaves veteran catcher Willson Contreras as the odd man out. He's the lone remaining big-name player from their recent glory days and they just signed some big competition for him.
It's Not About CompetitionWith that in mind, newcomer Yan Gomes recently opened up about how he and Contreras have dealt with the growing tension that may surge from two players competing for the same spot. For them, it's just not like that:
"We both just were talking," Gomes said. "And I was like, 'Hey, it's not me against you or anything like that. I'm not here to take anybody's spot. I'm here to get the team better.'"Gomes Doesn't Want To Be A DistractionContreras has been tied to multiple trade rumors and Gomes' addition didn't do much to help with that. That's why he reached out to his fellow backstop to let him know he wasn't there to be a distraction:
"Obviously, reading everything out there, a lot of the rumors, I just wanted him to know, 'Hey, you're the starter. You're the main guy. I'm just here for whatever it is they want to do. I'm here to strengthen both of us instead of making this a little bit of a harder deal," Gomes added.Contreras Praises Gomes' Humble AttitudeThat attitude certainly sat quite well with Contreras. Per the Venezuelan, it was his humble attitude that made him want to work with him:
"When you go to a new team and you are the type of guy that is really humble and says that," Contreras said, "it means a lot to me. It means he's a great guy. He's a great person. He's not selfish."They Want To Work TogetherContreras admits that he didn't like the signing at first glance and wasn't looking forward to talking to him at all. Fortunately, Gomes decided to reach out to him and they hit the ground running:
"I had some thoughts. I wouldn't say no. I'm human," Contreras said. "A lot of times, I'm overthinking a lot, especially in the offseason. Since I got here and I got to meet Yan, everything for me changed. He's a great guy. He's going to help me a lot. I told him, when he came to me and said, 'Hey, I'm here for you. Anything you need,' my answer was, 'Let's work together and win some ballgames.'"That's exactly what you want to hear from your team's veteran.
]]>The Inquisitr