When the Winter Meetings open up, the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be one of the more active teams on the trade market. As they continue their fire sale, another veteran has joined the list of potential Cardinals trade candidates.
First baseman Willson Contreras refused to waive his no-trade clause at the deadline, seemingly professing his desire to stay in St. Louis. However, with the Cardinals now clearly operating as sellers, Contreras has had a change of heart, via Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“They also have another name to consider shopping. Despite saying at the end of the season that he’d prefer to stay with the Cardinals, Willson Contreras is open to trade offers and has become more willing to waive his full no-trade clause for the right fit, multiple league sources told The Athletic,” Woo wrote.
The Cardinals aren't as committed to trading Contreras as they are Nolan Arenado. There's still a chance the first baseman enters the season with St. Louis. But if the right offer comes along, new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom won't hesitate to react. With two years remaining on his contract, perhaps the trade interest in Contreras goes up.
His work on the diamond in 2025 will certainly help his prospect. In his first full season as a first baseman, Contreras hit .257 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs over 135 games. His RBI total marked a new career high while his games played were Contreras' most since 2018.
The Cardinals are officially open for business throughout the offseason. Don't be surprised if they end up dealing away Contreras.
