ST. LOUIS -- In the end, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer simply couldn't find a match with another team for his All-Star catcher and left fielder.
Willson Contreras and Ian Happ will remain Cubs for the time being, despite weeks of speculation they would be on the move.
"We never crossed that threshold," Hoyer said of making a deal. "This year makes me realize how fortunate we were last year."
In a 24-hour span on deadline day in 2021, Hoyer traded Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo for prospects, perhaps leading Contreras and others to assume it would happen again this time, Hoyer surmised.