Cardinals Looking To Deal 3x All-Star Following Sonny Gray Move, Per Insider

The Cardinals are far from done.

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, the St. Louis Cardinals made some noise as they finally kicked off their much needed rebuild. They sent right-hander Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitching prospect Brandon Clarke and right-hander Richard Fitts.

This is just the first move that the Cardinals have made, and more should be on the horizon soon. Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan are also likely to be traded at some point this offseason.

However, John Denton of MLB.com noted that those might not be the only other Cardinals traded, and he added an unexpected name to the list of potential candidates.

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Could Cardinals Move 3x All-Star?

Sep 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) celebrates after hitting a RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

“The Cardinals, who have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons after they were eliminated in the NL Wild Card Series in '22, are also hoping to trade veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Willson Contreras this offseason,” Denton wrote.

Contreras has a no-trade clause and has said multiple times that he wants to remain in St. Louis, which makes his name being added to the list all the more surprising.

However, if the right deal comes up, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Contreras could choose to go elsewhere. The Cardinals are obviously not expected to contend after making the Gray trade and with more moves on the horizon.

If they move Contreras, it would signal that they are going to go into a full rebuild and focus solely on the future rather than trying to contend in the present. The Cardinals could bring back a good haul for Contreras depending on where they send him, and if he agrees to waive his no-trade clause.

But it’s clear that the focus is rebuilding, even if they keep Contreras. But if Chaim Bloom is hoping to move him, he’ll likely have plenty of contending teams showing interest.

It all depends on whether or not Contreras is willing to waive his no-trade clause. He hasn’t indicated that he wants to do that, so it would seem that as of now, he is likely to remain in St. Louis for at least the 2026 season.

It should be interesting to see if he changes his mind based on what the Cardinals do moving forward.

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