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Catcher Willson Contreras is the top free agent on the market in his position. The catching class isn't terribly deep, as it only has the aforementioned Chicago Cubs star, Christian Vasquez, Gary Sanchez and Tucker Barnhart for the most part.
Nevertheless, coming off a 3.3 fWAR season with the Cubs, Contreras is an impact player in a very important position.
Tons of teams could use his services, but the Houston Astros are in special need of him.
Here are three reasons why.
#1 Catcher is their only hole
After signing Jose Abreu to man first base, the Astros do not have any other glaring holes. Yuli Gurriel was awful last year, posting negative fWAR. Trade acquisition Trey Mancini wasn't much better.
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Martin Maldonado holds it down defensively and the pitching staff love throwing to him. However, he doesn't bring much offensively. Pairing Contreras with Maldonado would make for a lethal combo. The former could DH as well.
#2 More is always better
It's never a bad idea to add more talent. The Los Angeles Dodgers won 111 games last season and they're interested in adding the cream of the crop this free agency. Teams are always interested in adding more talent and that's what Contreras is: more talent.
If the Astros want to be the first team in nearly two decades to repeat as World Series champions, they'll need to strengthen as much as they can. That should include bringing in the former Cub first and foremost.
#3 Catching offense is important
Generally speaking, offense is not what catchers are known for. It's perhaps the most important defensive position on the diamond, so offense doesn't matter very much. That's why it's such a huge bonus to have stellar offensive output from behind the plate.
Good teams generally get a little more offensive production from that spot than bad ones, which is why adding a premier offensive talent at catcher is so important.
Contreras might not be the best offensive catcher, but he's definitely one of them. The Astros need that.
