Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Settling in with new team
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Contreras is hitting .250 with one double, one RBI and six strikeouts over six Grapefruit League games.
Contreras stayed in camp rather than going to the World Baseball Classic to get to know the pitchers on his new team. The catcher signed a five-year deal in December to become the Cardinals' new No. 1 backstop after the retirement of Yadier Molina. Contreras won't enjoy the friendly confines of Wrigley Field as often as he used to, but he's a four-time 20-homer hitter and should continue to return solid numbers at a position where those are scarce.
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Officially lands in St. Louis
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Contreras' signing of a five-year, $87.5 million contract with a $17.5 million club option for 2028 was formally announced by the Cardinals on Friday.
The deal was first reported Wednesday. Contreras has big shoes to fill in replacing future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina, whose 19-year reign as the Cards' catcher has come to an end due to retirement. Contreras will undoubtedly be a downgrade defensively, especially in the framing department, but it's difficult to overstate how much more offense Contreras is likely to bring. His OPS over the last four seasons sits at .816, a number Molina reached only twice in his career and not since 2013. There will be a ballpark downgrade for Contreras, but Busch Stadium is more favorable for right-handed batters than it is lefties.
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Replacing Molina in St. Louis
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Contreras and the Cardinals agreed Wednesday on a five-year, $87.5 million contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
In bringing aboard Contreras, St. Louis has found a replacement for longtime catcher Yadier Molina, who retired following the 2022 campaign after 19 seasons with the Cardinals. With Molina's production having waned in recent years, the 30-year-old Contreras will provide a major upgrade at the position, particularly on the offensive end. Over the past two seasons, Contreras' 121 wRC+ ranks third among all catchers who have logged at least 500 plate appearances over that stretch. While joining a strong Cardinals lineup that includes Nolan Arenado and reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt in the heart of the order, Contreras should have a good chance at improving upon the run and RBI totals he logged with sub-.500 Cubs teams both of the last two years.
Contreras declined the Cubs' $19.65 million qualifying offer and became a free agent Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Contreras slashed .243/.349/.466 in 2022 -- a very good individual season -- but he will now join the list of star players to depart from Chicago in the last couple of years as the Cubs enter a rebuild. Contreras is known as a great catcher and should garner plenty of interest from teams looking to add a high-quality piece to their lineup.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: On bench for season finale
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Contreras isn't starting Wednesday against the Reds.
Contreras went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a strikeout Tuesday against Cincinnati, and he'll retreat to the bench for Wednesday's season finale. P.J. Higgins is starting behind the plate and batting seventh.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Hits 22nd home run
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Contreras went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Reds.
Contreras is now up to 22 home runs with one more game on the schedule Wednesday. If the catcher plays in the afternoon contest, he'll need two long balls to tie his career high of 24, set back in 2019. Either way, it's been a solid season for Contreras, as the veteran has an .815 OPS across 113 games. It'll be his first OPS above .800 since that 2019 campaign, when he finished with a career-best .888 mark.
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Cubs' Willson Contreras: Riding pine Monday
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Contreras isn't in the lineup Monday against Cincinnati.
Contreras started the last two games and went 0-for-6 with a run and two walks. He'll get a breather while Yan Gomes starts behind the dish and bats eighth.
