Yankees Should Pursue $87 Million Star From Cardinals To Upgrade 2025 Battery

St. Louis has an intriguing trade option for the Bronx Bombers

Jul 24, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras (middle) warps hitting coach Turner Ward (right) with athletic tape in the dugout before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have announced plans to reduce payroll this winter and a few notable names could be traded to clear room.

Although the organization hasn't revealed any names on the trade block, it's not challenging to figure out who could be first to go when analyzing who gets paid the most on the Cardinals' roster.

With the Cardinals shifting their focus from the big-league roster to player development, it's possible that one of the team's most potent hitters from 2024 could be moved to the wealthiest team in baseball this winter.

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras would be a logical trade option this winter for the New York Yankees, who lack a power-hitting man behind the plate.

The Yankees have scathed by with Jose Trevino and Austin Wells alternating as the club's starting catcher but neither possess hitting capabilities that could match Contreras's.

Contreras was easily the Cardinals top producing hitter before he suffered a broken left forearm in May earlier this season. Despite battling injury in 2024, he batted .262 with 32 extra-base hits including 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .848 OPS in 84 games played for St. Louis.

After signing a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Cardinals in the 2022 offseason, Contreras hoped to compete for another World Series ring -- his first being with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

With the Yankees needing a franchise catcher and the Cardinals not being able to contend through at least next season, trading Contreras to the Bronx makes sense. There, the Venezuelan-born slugger will have a chance to earn a second World Series ring, while St. Louis uses the money saved from his trade to invest in the future.

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