As they take the Field of Dreams, where do the Chicago Cubs stand in their latest rebuild?

CHICAGO — Last Tuesday, at the brink of MLB's trade deadline, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had a decision to make: Trade catcher Willson Contreras for what he believed was below market value, or keep him and potentially get an extra draft pick if Contreras leaves as a free agent at the end of the season.

For weeks, it had been a fait accompli that Contreras would be moved, especially after Hoyer had pulled off another deadline dump one year earlier with stars Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez. The Cubs are rebuilding and focusing on youth, so getting another prospect or two in exchange for a few months of Contreras' service was attractive to Hoyer and his front office.

There were conversations, of course, with Cleveland and Tampa Bay, both organizations that have a need at catcher but are usually loath to give up prospects with team control. The Mets were involved early but never moved, perhaps feeling burned by trading for Baez while giving up rising prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong the year before. The San Diego Padres were also in the mix but fell out once they traded for Juan Soto earlier in the day. The 6 p.m. ET deadline hit, and a deal had never materialized.

«Each offseason and trade deadline, you try to make the right decisions in the moment,» Hoyer said this week. «I think we've done a good job of doing that, but you can't force your way in one direction or another. If a trade doesn't line up, you can't force it. You have to realize there may be another option the Cubs can benefit from.»

History and reputation allow Hoyer the benefit of the doubt. One current GM described the Cubs as «fair, direct and transparent» when it comes to making trades. And it's not as though Hoyer sat