The St. Louis Cardinals made a move Wednesday and might have ruffled a rival’s feathers.
Willson Contreras is a St. Louis Cardinal. The Cardinals and Contreras agreed to a five-year deal that poached the All-Star catcher from rival Chicago to St. Louis.
Ken Rosenthal first reported that the two sides were close. At 11:09 AM ET, Rosenthal he tweeted“Cardinals closing in on free-agent catcher Willson Contreras.”
Cardinals closing in on free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, sources tell @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2022
Jon Morosi of MLB Network then confirmed the details. Morose he tweeted at 12:59 pm ET, “Willson Contreras and St. Louis Cardinals now in agreement on 5-year deal.”
Willson Contreras and #STLCards now in agreement on a 5-year deal, source confirms, as first reported by @Ken_Rosenthal. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 7, 2022
It’s a spicy move for the rivalry and certainly not the first from either side. Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, and Jim Edmonds are among many players who’ve played for both Chicago and St. Louis.
The Cardinals and Contreras are scheduled to go to Chicago first from May 8-10, 2023. This will be the first time Contreras has played in a different uniform at Wrigley Field. Contreras spent 13 years in the system after the Cubs signed him in 2009 as an international free agent. He first arrived at the Cubs in 2016. He played a crucial role in the postseason en route to their first World Series championship since 1908.
After the news broke, the MLB world reacted to the Cardinals’ newest acquisition.
The #STLCards have their catcher.
As others have reported, Willson Contreras will be a Cardinal, pending physicals.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) December 7, 2022
Our first look at Willson Contreras wearing the @Cardinals uniform!
(per @jonmorosi) pic.twitter.com/ZIqVi1Fo2v
— Cut4 (@Cut4) December 7, 2022
Willson Contreras is going to absolutely murder the Cubs for the rest of his career and the front office will deserve every bit of scorn heaped upon them if he does it for the Cardinals. https://t.co/klGY3l0gCV
— Sara Sanchez (@BCB_Sara) December 7, 2022
Willson Contreras is a darn good baseball player. I think he’ll be good for the chemistry of the team, too. You hope he’s what you need him to be behind the plate.
Go make some trades to address other areas of the roster, and it’s a quality offseason.
— Brenden Schaeffer (@bschaeffer12) December 7, 2022
Just when we thought we were going to be rid of the headache that was Willson Contreras….
He becomes even more annoying https://t.co/YzJ2xn1eqB
— Reviewing the Brew (@ReviewngTheBrew) December 7, 2022
The Chicago Cubs not trading Willson Contreras at the trade deadline, only to watch him sign with their division-rival Cardinals a few months later is criminal.
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) December 7, 2022
Something that Cardinals fans will learn quickly about Willson Contreras is that he loves to throw behind runners. He attempted 48 backpicks last season—for reference, the second- and third-place finishers combined for 45 attempts.
— RJ Anderson (@r_j_anderson) December 7, 2022
Fans have every right to be upset or sad.
Doesn’t change the fact that Willson Contreras should never have to buy a meal in Chicago ever again.
World Series. 3x all-star. Baseball is a business.
Willson went where he got paid. And he deserved every dime. https://t.co/Gv4pNWSdO1
— Alex Cohen (@voiceofcohen) December 7, 2022