Inside The Cardinals

Mets Urged To Pursue Cardinals $87 Million Slugger

Will the St. Louis Cardinals get a deal done?
Patrick McAvoy|
Aug 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; A New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Aug 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; A New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsNew York Mets

The St. Louis Cardinals have some stars with the team, but unfortunately, that hasn’t led to a playoff appearance since 2022.

St. Louis had made the playoffs in four straight years (2019-2022) and hasn't made it past the regular season ever since. Now, it's Chiam Bloom's turn to try to turn things around for the organization and it won't flip over night. The Cardinals have a lot of decisions to make, especially when it comes to the idea of who will come back next year. There are veterans all over the place, but the trade market will heat up after the playoffs and we should see some movement.

Could the Cardinals trade Willson Contreras?

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

Now, the offseason is here for the Cardinals. While this is the case, not every decision is fully in the Cardinals’ hands. For example, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Sonny Gray all have no-trade clauses in their deals. So, if they want to stay, they will. Arenado is the likeliest to go, while Gray is behind him. Contreras is the most likely to stay, but that isn't a guarantee because what if there's an offer he cant refuse?

Former New York Mets acting general manager Zack Scott took to social media with a suggestion saying the Mets should move on from Pete Alonso and give the Cardinals a call about Contreras.

"After investing about 30 seconds of thought... a start toward improving defensively is to move (Jan Soto) to DH and replace Pete with a better defender (trade (Mark Vientos+) for W. Contreras who actually looked pretty good at 1B?)," Scott said.

That's an interesting idea. Contreras did show a lot at first base this season. He was good offensively with 20 homers and 80 RBIs and was better-than-expected defensively as well. The Mets are a team that had a terrible end to the 2025 season. If that were to lead them to overpay for Contreras it would at least be worth checking in with him to see if it would be an idea he would entertain.

He certainly would be cheaper with two years left on his five-year, $87.5 million deal on top of a club option.

More MLB: Cardinals Offseason Projection: Nolan Arenado, JJ Wetherholt, And More

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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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