Former All-Star catcher Willson Contreras is a prime trade candidate for the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason. The team has already announced it is looking to prioritize developing young talent. As part of that, payroll will be cut. A combination of several young catchers in the pipeline and the aging Contreras’ hefty contract makes him likely to be moved this offseason.
Organizational Depth Makes Cardinals All-Star Catcher Prime Trade Candidate
Contreras Trade Makes Sense
The Cardinals are motivated to cut costs this offseason as they look at a rebuild. Contreras is one of the largest contracts left on the books for the 2025 season and beyond. The perennial All-Star catcher is set to make $18 million in 2025. He has four years of club control left on his contract, with a total of $72 million on that deal. However, the final year of that deal is a club option in 2028, which would trim $17.5 million off that contract if it wasn’t picked up.
The 32-year-old Contreras is coming off an injury-riddled 2024 season. After being hit in the arm with a bat, Contreras missed one month through the middle of the season. A pitch fractured his finger on August 24, leading to him missing the remainder of the season. However, when he was healthy, Contreras was having a strong offensive season. Contreras slashed .262/.380/.468 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI in 84 games. Contreras was also one of the league leaders in walk rate. He was in the top three percentile of the league with a walk rate of 12.6 percent.
#STLCards POBO John Mozeliak said he’s had some talks with a few of the club’s veteran players to explain the shift to a youth movement.
He added, “Ultimately, the direction that we’re going to be going, it’s going to be creating some opportunities for our younger players.”
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) October 22, 2024
Defensively, Contreras was solid behind the plate. He was above league average in both blocks above average and caught stealing above average. Contreras was below league average in pitch framing metrics. However, he was working on it early in the season, which may have contributed to his positioning on the play in which a swing from J.D. Martinez broke his arm.
The combination of a long-term deal signed and strong play make him a tantalizing trade piece of contenders looking to make a splash this offseason.
Young Catchers To Look At
In Contreras’ absence this year, the Cardinals took a long look at two rookie catchers. Ivan Herrera was a top-10 prospect in the organization heading into the season. He started the year as Contreras’ primary backup. Herrera ended up with solid batting numbers in 2024. In 74 games, he slashed .301/.372/.428 with five home runs and 27 RBI. However, his caught stealing rate was below average at -3. That put him in the bottom three percentile of the league.
Despite not being a highly touted prospect, Pedro Pages emerged as the more favored rookie catcher in 2024. Pages slashed .238/.281/.376 with seven home runs and 27 RBI in 68 games this season. Pages also scored a -3 in caught stealing, which is above average. However, he was above league average in both blocks above average and pitch framing.
The Cardinals best catching prospect is probably Jimmy Crooks. Crooks was the Texas League MVP this season in Double-A with the Springfield Cardinals. He led double A with a .498 slugging percentage and a .908 OPS. On top of that, Crooks had a .321 average and added 11 home runs this season. Crooks was the Cardinals hitting prospect of the year. He is the No. 5 prospect in the organization and could push for the MLB level in 2025 if there is a position open for him.
Possible Return For Contreras
The Cardinals are shifting their focus to player development. Along with developing catching talent in the organization, the Cardinals want to bolster their pipeline with talent. Contreras’ combination of production, star power, and long-term team control makes him a possible enticing piece for teams that hope to be contenders over the next several years. However, it’s a big contract for a team to take on.
A recent offseason trade to compare the return for is the 2023 trade of Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins to the Seattle Mariners. Polanco had two years of club control over his contract at the time of the trade, with a $22.5 million price tag. The Twins received some major league return in the deal with pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa. However, the Twins received a highly touted young prospect in Gabriel Gonzalez. Gonzalez is just 20 years old and No. 7 on the Twins top prospect list. He is just in high single A and could eventually make the MLB’s top 100 prospect list.
If the Cardinals move Contreras, they will likely look for strictly prospects and no MLB players. However, they would be looking for players of the caliber of Gonzalez. The Cardinals have just three players on the MLB top 100 prospect list. They want to add players who they can eventually add to that list this offseason. Contreras was an emotional leader for the Cardinals this season. When he signed, he appeared to be the heir apparent to Yadier Molina. The move may be a tough pill for Cardinals fans to swallow, but it fits with the new direction the organization is taking.
Main Photo Credits: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
