Willson Contreras revealed that Albert Pujols played a role in his decision to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB free agency, per Talkin' Baseball.
“I think I was on IL. That was the day that Albert Pujols hit the 695 career homer,” Contreras said. “I was just looking around, looking around the ballpark, looking around the fanbase and the team. I said to myself ‘I would like to be a part of something like that. A team that’s always looking forward to win.'”
Willson Contreras, an All-Star catcher, signed a 5-year, $87.5M dollar contract with the Cardinals. St. Louis entered free agency with holes to fill after Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina announced their retirements following the season. Contreras and the Cardinals were immediately linked in free agency as a result. But Contreras made it clear that nobody can replace Molina.
“First things first: No one could ever replace Yadier Molina,” Contreras said. “We all know that. It’s impossible. Actually, if there’s some word that means even more impossible than the word impossible … that’s what it is. Yadier Molina is a legend.”
However, Willson Contreras is going to do everything in his power to help the Cardinals succeed over the next five seasons. He is set to join a lineup that includes superstars such as Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt.
It will unquestionably be a change for the pitching staff with a new backstop behind the plate. Nevertheless, a new era of baseball is beginning in St. Louis for the Cardinals.
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