Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Blockbuster Proposal Would Send $87 Million Star To AL West

Will the Cardinals actually trade the slugger away?

Patrick McAvoy

Aug 12, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras (40) high fives teammates after scoring on a RBI single hit by third baseman Nolan Arenado (not pictured) in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Aug 12, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras (40) high fives teammates after scoring on a RBI single hit by third baseman Nolan Arenado (not pictured) in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals may start wheeling and dealing right when the postseason comes to an end.

It's clear that the Cardinals are looking to cut salary and that means some trades involving high-salary players could be on the way. One of the most likely options to be moved is catcher Willson Contreras. St. Louis has young backstops Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés.

Contreras signed a large five-year, $87.5 million contract ahead of the 2023 season. Although he has been one of the team's best offensive players, it has been a weird stint with the team. St. Louis didn't handle his role properly in 2023 and then had him in trade rumors almost immediately.

The team didn't end up moving him, and he shined once again in 2024. But he dealt with some unfortunate injuries.

Now it seems like his time with the Cardinals could be coming to an end in the near future, and FanSided's Josh Jacobs floated the Seattle Mariners as a possible landing spot in a trade.

"If Willson Contreras would like to go elsewhere and be a part of a winning ball club next year, I think there will be no shortage of suitors out there," Jacobs said. "His bat has been elite the last two seasons, meaning that even if a club does not view him as their catcher, he would still be well worth the $18 million owed to him each season for the next three years.

"Seattle feels like such an obvious fit to me. They have young pitching that would be of interest to St. Louis, and they badly need bats for their lineup to get them over the hump. Contreras would easily be the best bat in the lineup but could quickly become the number two option if Julio Rodriguez has a bounce-back season."

The Mariners need offense, and the Cardinals need pitching. Maybe they could get a deal done.

More MLB: Cardinals $130 Million Star Predicted To Leave St. Louis For Bitter Rival

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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