Cardinals' Chaim Bloom Reveals Willson Contreras' Stance On Being Traded

Was the move in the best interest of both parties?

Aug 1, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Chadd Cady-Imagn Images | Chadd Cady-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the winter with several trade chips in tow, and so far, they've sent the two biggest names to the Boston Red Sox.

Nearly a month after shipping three-time All-Star starting pitcher Sonny Gray to Boston, the Cardinals sent three-time All-Star slugger Willson Contreras to the Red Sox in a trade that was made official on Monday, as St. Louis acquired three right-handed pitchers, Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita.

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Chaim Bloom, who served as the Red Sox's chief baseball officer before jumping to the St. Louis front office, spoke about the trade on Monday and revealed what Contreras thought about the prospect of being dealt before a specific deal was on the table.

Contreras was amicable to trades, Bloom says

May 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras (40) celebrates his homerun with third base coach Ron 'Pop' Warner (75) during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Knowing that a rebuild was coming, Contreras (who had a no-trade clause) was seemingly prepared for the Cardinals receiving trade calls on him entering his age-34 season, with two guaranteed years and $41.5 million remaining on his contract.

"This wasn't something where he was looking to leave, and I think he felt that way up until the deal. This wasn't something that he sought," Bloom said, per John Denton of MLB.com. "He did say, if, in the course of me doing my job, if something comes to us that we thought was in the best interest of the Cardinals, to take it to him, and he'd make a decision from there.

"There's a lot of things (to a trade and) I'll let Boston speak to that, but there's a lot of things about that situation that could be appealing to him or to any player. So, at the end of the day, he chose to do it and he was a total pro."

The Red Sox are getting one of the more consistent right-handed sluggers in the sport, and the Cardinals knew Contreras could help them re-stock their pitching cupboard. At the end of the day, this deal has the potential to be a win-win.

Still, it's tough to move on from a city when you hoped to experience multiple deep playoff runs there, so Contreras and the Cardinals will likely always feel as though they had unfinished business.

More MLB: Cardinals Trio On Trade Block After Willson Contreras Swap