Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Oli Marmol Drops Telling Update On Willson Contreras

The St. Louis Cardinals have a few stars on their hands to watch...
Patrick McAvoy|
Aug 12, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) tosses his bat after breaking it over his knee after he was hit by a pitch from Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Aug 12, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) tosses his bat after breaking it over his knee after he was hit by a pitch from Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

Will the St. Louis Cardinals cut ties with Willson Contreras this offseason?

Contreras has a no-trade clause and made it clear last offseason, ahead of this past offseason, and even at the very end of the regular season that he preferred to stick around with St. Louis. Last week, The Athletic's Katie Woo reported that Contreras is more open to the idea of waiving the no-trade clause now. Woo did note that the team doesn't view a Contreras deal as "something they must do."

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On Monday, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol joined "Foul Territory" and was asked about the team's potential trade candidates, including Contreras.

Will Willson Contreras get dealt?

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras
Sep 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a two run triple against the Athletics during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Willson's been clear about he loves being here in St. Louis," Marmol said on "Foul Territory" of Contreras. "And he loves the group and being a part of building this group up to get to where we want to get to but at the same time it's going to have to make sense more so not only for him, but for his family. He's the type of guy that you can have these conversations with. He's very upfront. He loves where he's at. He loves the situation in St. Louis. He feels at home, but at the same time if it makes sense, then it's a conversation. So, we'll kind of see, where that leads."

So, what does this mean for the Contreras market? It's more of the same. There aren't many people who have made it clear how much they love St. Louis than Contreras. Last offseason, he switched from catcher to first base after making it known he didn't want to leave. Contreras has been consistent in his praise for the organization and how he wants to help turn the team around.

If the right trade comes around, who knows? That goes off of Marmol's points. If the team is blown away by a suitor that would work for Contreras, maybe something gets done. But don't expect the slugger just to accept a deal to go anywhere.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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