The St. Louis Cardinals and All-Star catcher Willson Contreras agreed to a five-year, $87.5-million contract, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Contreras will replace longtime Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina, who retired after the 2022 campaign following a stellar 19-year run in the majors.
The 30-year-old Contreras went deep 22 times with an .815 OPS over 113 games for division rivals the Chicago Cubs last season. He's spent his entire seven-year career with the Cubs and won a World Series title in 2016.
The Cubs will receive a compensatory draft pick since Contreras rejected their qualifying offer. Meanwhile, the Cardinals will forfeit their second-highest selection and have their international signing bonus pool reduced by $500,000.
Former Cardinals and Cubs pitcher Jon Lester apparently helped St. Louis decide to pursue Contreras:
Jon Lester’s endorsement of Willson Contreras was part of #STLCards fact-finding on the free agent. Two worked well together, and Lester could be particular with catchers and had the issues throwing to first base. Lester is big supporter of Willson.
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) December 7, 2022
The Houston Astros also reportedly made a strong push to sign Contreras.
