Current St. Louis Cardinals wide receiver Willson Contreras has revealed to The Athletic that he told Chicago Cubs manager David Ross he wanted to stay.
The worst thing a fanbase can see is one of their best players leaving for free agency, to sign with their division rival. That’s exactly what the Chicago Cubs faithful are facing right now, as wide receiver Willson Contreras has signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs had the opportunity to trade Contreras at last season’s deadline, but instead opted to keep him for the remainder of the season.
While speaking with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), Contreras revealed he tried to work his way up to stay with the Cubs. In fact, he said he met with Cubs manager David Ross and told him “this is where I want to be.”
Obviously, that didn’t work out, as a teammate actually warned Contreras that the Cubs were ready to move on without him.
Willson Contreras told David Ross he wanted to stay with the Cubs
“I was like, ‘OK, I think my job is done here,’” Contreras said. “Whatever they do, it will take me time to heal, to get over it. But at the same time, I knew that I had done a very good job in the last six years. I have proven myself in the I’ve never been fired once, which is very important for a catcher.
“I said to my agent, ‘I know there will be a team that will be interested in me.’ A lot of people thought I wasn’t going to get what I had. But I trust God. And God knows how much sacrifice I put into my job. Once the negotiations started, and I heard that the Cardinals were the first team interested in me, I thought to myself, “This is a team that I would like to play for.”
The Cardinals were an obvious team in need of a receiver heading into the offseason after longtime backstop Yadier Molina retired at the end of the 2022 season. Filling the shoes of a legendary receiver would be difficult for any crew. Luckily for them, the Cubs let their starting receiver into free agency, and the Cardinals flew in to try to sign him.
Five years and $87.5 million later, the Cardinals have found their catcher in Contreras.
Last season, Contreras recorded a .243 batting average, .349 on-base percentage, .466 hitting percentage, 22 homers, 55 RBI, 65 runs scored and 101 hits. Defensively, recorded 605 strikeouts, 46 assists and four errors on 655 chances, while recording a season-high seven passes, per Baseball Reference.
The Cubs will have Tucker Barnhart as their starting catcher heading into spring training after signing a two-year, $6.5 million contract in free agency. The Cubs also have Yan Gomes as an option to catch this season.
Contreras wanted to stay a Cub, but now he’s moved on, where he’ll be the Cardinals’ starting receiver.
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