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Update: The deal seems done, and it comes out to five years, $87.5 million for Contreras and the Cardinals. St. Louis gets their Molina replacement, but spent a good chunk of change in doing so. Contreras, Arenado and Goldschmidt now present a tough (anticipated) three, four, five to get through in the lineup.
Catcher Willson Contreras and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a five-year, $87.5 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2022
Update — According to Jon Morosi, the deal for Contreras with the Cardinals is five years. We’re still waiting for reports on the money involved.
The St. Louis Cardinals are closing in on All-Star catcher Willson Contreras, per Ken Rosenthal. Contreras will have big shoes to fill with future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina retiring from baseball after this season.
Contreras, 30, was an All-Star last season, his third appearance in his career. He hit 22 HRs with 55 RBI on a Chicago Cubs team that finished third in the NL Central division at 74-88. Contreras can also play the outfield, which gives the Cardinals some flexibility at catcher. We also could see Contreras DH quite a bit with Albert Pujols also retiring from baseball after 2022. Contreras gives the Cardinals’ a solid replacement bat in the middle of the order to go with NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.