One Major Reason The Cardinals Must Trade Willson Contreras This Winter

He would prefer to stay in St. Louis, but the Cardinals' hands may be tied.

Sep 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) draws a walk against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of work left to do as the calendar shifts to the holiday season and 2026 approaches. Chaim Bloom has already got a healthy head start on the Cardinals rebuild, sending Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox and signing Dustin May.

But those won’t be nearly the last moves Bloom makes this offseason, especially on the trade front. Several teams have been calling the Cardinals about some of their top trade chips, most notably Willson Contreras, JoJo Romero and Brendan Donovan.

While Contreras originally wanted to stay in St. Louis, the Cardinals are wise to listen to offers for him, and it ultimately might be the best choice to trade him to a contender

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Why Trading Willson Contreras Makes Sense

Sep 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits 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 would be losing their best power hitter if they trade him. He led the team with 20 home runs in 2025. 

However, much like Donovan, he only has two years of club control remaining, and his value is high. The Cardinals are not going to be a contender in 2026, so trading away high-priced veterans makes sense.

They need young prospects in exchange. In particular, young and controllable starting pitching. The Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, two suitors for Contreras, both have what St. Louis would be looking for in exchange.

They are short on pitching, but moving Contreras would allow them to add some young pitching and get out from under some of the slugger’s remaining money, perhaps clearing some payroll space for other moves in free agency.

If Contreras is gone, then St. Louis could hand first base duties over to Alec Burleson and have a little bit of competition for the designated hitter spot, while clearing out some playing time for other younger players.

The future is now in St. Louis, and while Contreras makes them a better team on paper, their goal shouldn’t be to try and win a World Series title this year. They need to focus on what is ahead and have a long-term view of things rather than going all in for the short-term.

It will be interesting to see what kind of interest they receive in the veteran first baseman and if they’ll ultimately find a new spot for him.

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