Royals Could Pursue Cardinals Slugger To Bolster Lineup For 2025
The Kansas City Royals are one win away from advancing to the American League Division Series for the first time since 2015 following a 1-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of the Wild Card Series.
The Royals could be a team of destiny this October and go on a magic carpet ride to a World Series title.
This offseason, they'll have a few holes to fill, as several players will be free agents. Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier's contracts will be up after the season ends.
Perhaps the Royals could look to replace them via a trade. Josh Jacobs of FanSided notes that the St. Louis Cardinals may trade Willson Contreras as part of their rebuild. Could Kansas City potentially pluck him away from their I-70 rivals?
"If Willson Contreras would like to go elsewhere and be part of a winning ballclub next year, I think there will be no shortage of suitors out there," Jacobs wrote. "His bat has been elite the last two seasons, meaning that 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."
The Royals already have Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin as their catchers, so if they were to targetr Contreras, they would have to find a new role for him. Perhaps he could be used as a designated hitter.
Despite two trips to the injured list this season, Contreras has been a strong offensive force. He hit .262 with 15 home runs. 36 RBI, and an .848 OPS with the Cardinals this season. He could prove to be a solid veteran leader in a young Royals clubhouse.
The Royals would have to put together quite the package in order to pluck him away from St. Louis, but they've proven that they want to win while St. Louis is taking a step back. We'll see if they can land him.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.