Willson Contreras, a longtime rival, could be signed by the St. Louis Cardinals to replace Yadier Molina.
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The St. Louis Cardinals could go in a number of different directions this offseason as they look to replace Yadier Molina behind the plate.
Among the most surprising options is signing longtime rival Willson Contreras and swapping his Cubbie blue for Cardinal red.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol gushed to the media on Tuesday at the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego about one quality in particular that the 30-year-old catcher might bring to the Gateway City if the Cardinals are able to sign him this offseason.
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Marmol sees Contreras as “a guy that loves to win,” which could help a clubhouse in desperate need of postseason wins.
“And earlier we talked about loving winning, and this is a guy that loves to win, who wakes up thinking about it, goes to sleep thinking about it,” Marmol said.
“And we’ve seen quite a bit across the way. And it’s a guy you don’t want to compete against because you know he’s pretty good. So, yeah, he’s a great competitor. And we respect his game.” He continued.
Last season, he had a 128 OPS+ while slashing.243/.349/.466 with 22 home runs and 55 RBI. Last season, the Cardinals had the fourth-most home runs, while the Cubs had the second-most (behind Patrick Wisdom’s 25).
Marmol stated that recent conversations with Contreras have given him a better understanding of the catcher, who he had only seen across the diamond during a heated NL Central rivalry.
“When you set aside everything from a competitive seeing him across the way, just having conversations with him, learning what kind of drives him, what motivates him, and what he’s looking for moving forward, it’s telling,” Marmol said. “Yes, we enjoy everything.”
This October, the Cardinals were bounced in the Wild Card round of the MLB postseason by the eventual National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, adding to a string of postseason disappointments for a team that hasn’t won a postseason series since 2019 and hasn’t competed in a World Series since 2013.
Could Contreras, a World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs, help to change that?
According to reports, both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros have made multi-year offers to him, so the chase for the catcher is heating up. Is that winning attitude enough of a differentiator for the Cardinals to outbid the Astros and other teams?
Will the Cardinals invest in catcher rather than other positions? There are numerous rumors circulating about which direction St. Louis may take this offseason, including acquiring a big-name shortstop.
