Willson Contreras’ five-year, $87.5MM contract with the Cardinals included a full no-trade clause for the primary 4 seasons, and Contreras indicated after final season that he wasn’t keen to consent to a deal. The primary baseman has barely modified his stance now, telling reporters (together with MLB.com’s Jeff Jones) that also desires to stay in St. Louis, however is keen to think about waiving his no-trade safety.
“If one thing comes as much as [president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom] that makes a whole lot of sense for him and the group, and it is sensible for me and my future, how about we discuss that?” Contreras stated. “However as of proper now, I might identical to to be a part of the [rebuilding] course of.”
Contreras famous that he isn’t requesting a commerce, and already shared his ideas about staying with the membership in a gathering with Bloom on Friday. “I’d prefer to be part of a younger crew that should have some sort of expertise round them. That’s what I expressed, however I perceive the a part of the enterprise of the crew, and we simply got here to an settlement there,” the primary baseman stated.
We’ve already seen Sonny Grey and Nolan Arenado every point out that they’d be extra open to waiving their very own no-trade safety this winter, within the wake of the incoming Cardinals rebuild. Grey is below contract simply via the 2026 season however on the hefty price ticket of $40MM ($35MM in backloaded wage and at the very least $5MM in a buyout of a membership choice for 2027). Arenado is owed $42MM via the 2027 season, although that quantity is lowered by deferred cash and $5MM from the Rockies as per the phrases of the commerce that despatched Arenado from Colorado to St. Louis.
Contreras is simply ending the third season of his five-year deal, and he’s owed $41.5MM in remaining wage — $18MM in 2026, $18.5MM in 2027, and there’s a $5MM buyout of a $17.5MM membership choice for 2028. Of those three expensive St. Louis veterans, Contreras brings much less of a one-off luxurious tax hit than Grey, and he has been a way more efficient hitter than Arenado over the past three seasons.
A proper shoulder pressure ended Contreras’ 2025 season earlier in September, so his season numbers stand at 20 homers and a .257/.344/.447 slash line throughout 563 plate appearances. Contreras’ time with the Cardinals has been largely outlined by the crew’s downturn in efficiency and the defensive questions that led to his transfer from catcher to first base, however the veteran has continued to hit — he has batted .261/.358/.459 over 1416 PA in a Cardinals uniform, which interprets to a 129 wRC+.
These numbers play higher from the catcher place than at first base, so hypothetically, a commerce suitor may need curiosity in shifting Contreras again into at the very least a part-time position behind the plate. Given the shortage of catching depth across the league, a crew may additionally have extra curiosity in taking up extra of Contreras’ wage if he’s being deployed to fill a bigger gap at catcher than at first base.
As Jones observes, buying and selling Contreras would permit the Cardinals to seek out extra taking part in time for a number of gamers on the roster. Alec Burleson would seemingly take over more often than not at first base, which in turns opens up at-bats at DH and within the outfield for others.
That stated, Contreras in the end has the ultimate phrase as a consequence of his contract. His full no-trade safety solely lasts via 2026, as Contreras can then submit a no-trade record of 10 groups. The Cardinals might conceivably stick to Contreras via the approaching season after which maybe look extra significantly at commerce talks subsequent winter, when the crew may have barely extra freedom in figuring out a take care of at the very least 19 groups.
Even when Contreras has left the door barely ajar to a commerce, he made it clear that he’s completely satisfied in St. Louis and would embrace the thought of serving to mentor a brand new technology of Cardinals.
“I perceive that it would take three to 5 years to have a playoff crew or a crew that may contend to the World Sequence, and I stated even when I don’t make it there, and also you guys make it to a World Sequence, I really feel like I may be pleased with that, simply because I need to assist younger guys to raised develop and have a greater thought of what baseball is in addition to going to research stats,” Contreras stated.
