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 tweeted, “Cardinals closing in on free-agent catcher Willson Contreras.”
Jon Morosi of MLB Network then affirmed the details. Morosi tweeted at 12:59 p.m. ET, “Willson Contreras and St. Louis Cardinals now in agreement on 5-year deal.”
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 to 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.
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.
— R.J. Anderson (@r_j_anderson) December 7, 2022