St. Louis Cardinals in hot pursuit to sign Willson Contreras from Chicago Cubs

According to reports, the St. Louis Cardinals want Willson Contreras to improve their lineup and swap out a franchise legend for an All-Star from a rival team. The Cardinals are actively pursuing Willson Contreras, who is the best talent at the position, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman's report on Thursday in the New York Post.

"Cardinals could be the right fit for this longtime Cub" - Jon Heyman

The Cardinals had a successful year in 2022, going 93-69 to win the National League Central division and record their most victories since 2015. Their excellent performance, though, was regrettably cut short by the National League pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies' two-game wild-card sweep.

To try to keep up the caliber of play established in 2022, the squad will need to try to fill such gaps. It appears that the team believes a star from the Chicago Cubs would be the ideal candidate to take over the role, despite the fact that replacing potential Hall-of-Famer Yadier Molina will be challenging.

Willson Contreras has played for Chicago for seven seasons and has made three All-Star games. The Cubs are not anticipated to make a significant push to keep him. But as Heyman pointed out, the Astros are another team that is vying for the star, and they will undoubtedly drive up the price for the 30-year-old.

The Qualifying offer by Cubs to Willson Contreras

Willson Contreras and the Chicago Cubs were never going to come to terms on a contract before he entered the free agent market. Too focused on exploring the open market, the 30-year-old. Additionally, the qualifying offer was advantageous for the Cubs once Contreras declared himself a free agency.

The Cubs would keep Contreras as their catcher on a one-year, $19.65 million deal if he agreed, which he would never do. If he declines, the Cubs will take a draft pick.

"Willson Contreras declined the Cubs' qualifying offer. Cubs will receive a compensation draft pick when Contreras signs elsewhere." - M_Montemurro

The compensatory pick for the Cubs is placed after Competitive Balance Round B because they did not receive revenue sharing. The 75th through the 80th picks in the MLB Amateur Draft in 2022 were those players.

Although Contreras is significantly more important to the Cubs than a pick in the late second round, the team will be content to receive anything in exchange for a lost asset. Even though Contreras no longer plays for Chicago, 14 years after his first signing with the team, he is still contributing value.

A boon for the Cardinals?

Yadier Molina's retirement has created a significant need at catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is already looking into joining the organization.

"Willson Contreras on 600 career hits with the #Cubs." - Taylor_McGregor

On the struggling Cubs this season, Contreras has slashed. 243/.349/.466 with 22 HR and 55 RBI. For St. Louis, Contreras would be a significant offensive upgrade at catcher and provide the team with another reliable voice, calling the game from behind the plate.

The Cubs' catcher has competed in some of the most important games and helped Chicago win the 2016 World Series. He would bring championship experience to St. Louis.