Contreras declined the Cubs' $19.65 million qualifying offer and became a free agent Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Contreras slashed .243/.349/.466 in 2022 -- a very good individual season -- but he will now join the list of star players to depart from Chicago in the last couple of years as the Cubs enter a rebuild. Contreras is known as a great catcher and should garner plenty of interest from teams looking to add a high-quality piece to their lineup.