The Cardinals have reached a five-year deal with three-time All-Star catcher Willson Contreras, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi on Wednesday. The club has not confirmed the deal, which would give St. Louis his successor to longtime catcher Yadier Molina. Contreras, whose deal is worth $87.5 million according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, would be the latest player to take part in the classic Cubs-Cardinals rivalry from both sides.
This past season, Contreras was named to his third career All-Star team, following nods in the ’18 and ’19 campaigns. One of the remaining members of the 2016 World Series club, Contreras tried to embrace more of a vocal leadership role, while being a mentor for some younger players on a Cubs team in the midst of a rebuilding period.
At the same time, Contreras played the first half of the season amid constant trade rumors and chatter about his uncertain future with the only ballclub he had known. Contreras was signed out of Venezuela in 2009, converted to catching as a Minor Leaguer and grew into the longest-tenured player in the organization.
When the Trade Deadline came and went, Contreras was still with the Cubs, who did not find a deal that met their high asking price. Contreras found himself increasingly at peace with the idea that he might suit up for a new team in ’23 and beyond.
“Right after the Trade Deadline,” Contreras said at the end of this season, “I said to myself, like, ‘If I don’t come back to this team, just know that you did everything you could to help this team to win.’ And that’s something that is true. Because I play with my heart every single day. I didn’t make an excuse not to play baseball.
“I came here with the heart to play baseball and show the fans that I play for my team, that I don’t play for myself. And something that gives me peace. My mind-set right now is just really calm, because I know that when I walk out of the gate or out of the door, I did everything for this team.”
The Cubs extended the 30-year-old Contreras a one-year qualifying offer, which the catcher declined. That put Chicago in position to net a compensatory Draft pick in the wake of Contreras’ departure.
In 2022, Contreras hit .243/.349/.466 with 22 home runs, 23 doubles, 55 RBIs and 103 strikeouts against 45 walks in 113 games. He set single-season career bests in OPS+ (128), total bases (194) and runs scored (65), while ranking in the 90th percentile in hard-hit rate (48.6 percent), per Statcast.
Over seven seasons with the Cubs, Contreras turned in a .256/.349/.459 slash line with a 115 OPS+ in 734 games. He topped 20 homers in four seasons, developing into one of baseball’s top offensive catchers.
Defensively, Contreras has gained plenty of praise for his arm strength, ability to limit the running game and blocking skills. And while he earned the trust of veterans like Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks, Contreras’ game calling has been a point of criticism.
In terms of pitch framing, Contreras overcame some major issues early in his career and put in work to become a Gold Glove finalist in 2020. His framing numbers have regressed since that abbreviated standout season (minus one Framing Runs in ’21-22, per Statcast), but not to his 2017-19 levels (minus 19 Framing Runs).
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