Underrated 20/20 hindsight bad trade for the Cubs:
Jeimer Candelario and Issac Peredes for Alex Avila and Justin Wilson in 2017.
Contreras was hurt and missed more than a month of the second half. So the Cubs needed a catcher with some pop and Avila was fine for that. He basically hit his career numbers with the Cubs until the end of the season and left via free agency.
Wilson was one of several pitchers of that era to join the Cubs and then immediately lose the strike zone. He walked 19 guys in less than 18 innings before being shut down. He had a year left on his contract and came back in 2018 and had a pretty nice season.
Candelario immediately entered the Tigers lineup and became a regular third baseman. He’s been a solid, if inconsistent hitter with some pop and an OK fielder. Left Detroit as a free agent and signed a 1-year contract with the Nats. One of the better position players likely to be traded at the deadline. He’d fill a pretty big hole for the Cubs right now.
Paredes was only 18 and in A-ball when the Cubs traded him and he’s still only 24. He had nice 2018 and 2019 minor league seasons and entered some publications’ top 100 prospect lists. He didn’t do much in call ups in 2020 or 2021 and kind of fell off peoples’ radar. He then got traded to the Rays for Austin Meadows, which looked like it was a horribly one-sided trade at the time, but in the opposite direction. Meadows has barely played for the Tigers and Paredes has become the Rays’ starting 3B on pace for 30+ HRs and a 5 WAR season.