St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras has already had an eventful first season with the club, but could he already be on the trading block?
According to USA Today MLB reporter Bob Nightengale, the former Cubs catcher is indeed among the many Cardinals players that the team is considering shopping as the trade deadline approaches.
In his weekly notebook column, Nightengale ran down a list of potential Cardinals trade pieces, and the catcher’s name was one of them.
“The Cardinals have the greatest array of talent available, with outfielders (Dylan) Carlson and (Tyler) O’Neill, infielders Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong, and catcher Willson Contreras is on the block too,” he reported.
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Heading into Sunday's game against the Cubs, the Cardinals sit at 44-55 on the season, and are 11 games back in the National League Central, sparking calls for significant action by the front office.
Contreras has had an eventful first season with the Cardinals after signing a five-year contract with the club over the offseason. He has 11 home runs and 40 RBI’s in 299 at-bats, but has also been stripped of his catching duties, only to have his place behind the plate returned to him a short time later by manager Oliver Marmol.
If he were to be traded, the Cardinals would almost certainly have to eat a significant portion of his salary. He is guaranteed $72.5 million over the next four seasons, and has a club option for the 2028 campaign that comes with a base salary of $17.5 million.
Chicago Cubs
Contreras left Saturday’s game against the Cubs with a right hip issue, and is currently considered day-to-day.
