Where Things Stand With Cardinals, Willson Contreras

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot riding on this offseason.

St. Louis turned to Chaim Bloom as the team's president of baseball operations this offseason and his job is turning the organization around after three straight tough seasons. Bloom has been open and candid all offseason to this point. St. Louis isn't likely to have some sort of massive turnaround in year No. 1 under Bloom. Maybe. But, the Cardinals have an eye for the future. St. Louis traded Sonny Gray away and there could be more veterans leaving the organization soon.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, JoJo Romero, and many others have been discussed throughout the offseason. Most recently, Willson Contreras has had his name out there. The Athletic's Katie Woo reported before the winter meetings that Contreras has grown more open to the idea of a trade. Now, that doesn't mean he will 100 percent get moved. But he has quickly become one of the more talked-about candidates in the league. In fact, Woo reported on Saturday that the Boston Red Sox are showing "significant interest" in acquiring him.

Willson Contreras is getting trade buzz

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

"The Cardinals continue to explore the market for Willson Contreras, which could see more action with Pete Alonso off the board," Woo wrote. "Contreras, who is signed through 2027 with a club option for 2028, privately expressed to the organization his willingness to waive his full no-trade clause for the right fit. Though the Mets did inquire about Contreras, their interest was secondary — and that sentiment was affirmed by their signing of Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal Saturday.

"The Red Sox have significant interest in Contreras, and the clubs have plenty of familiarity with each other. No deal is close, per a team source, but the connection is worth monitoring over the next several days."

Throughout the winter meetings, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol spoke about Contreras with rumors growing.

"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."

Contreras publicly spoke about not wanting to be traded last offseason, ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, and even made the point known after the season ended. While being open to the idea of a trade, doesn't guarantee a move, it does appear as though the chances are higher now. But even though the Red Sox, for example, are interested. Is Contreras interested in Boston? With his no-trade clause, that's really what matters.

More MLB: Cardinals Have 2 Front-Runners For Brendan Donovan, Including Giants