AP source: Cardinals, Contreras agree to 5-year contract
Willson Contreras is going to St. Louis to replace Yadier Molina at catcher, agreeing to an $87.5 million, five-year contract with the CardinalsDECEMBER 8, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
WILLSON CONTRERAS #40 - CATCHER - ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
15 HR •
36 RBI •
.262 AVG
15 HR
36 RBI
.262 AVG
How Willson Contreras' deal impacts Cardinals, MLB's catcher market
Star free agent Willson Contreras is off the board. Jordan Shusterman examines what his signing means for the Cardinals and the rest of the...DECEMBER 8, 2022
Judge goes back to Yankees; Padres grab SS Bogaerts
Aaron Judge is returning to the New York Yankees on a $360 million, nine-year contract, and the other contenders for the AL MVP in free agency are moving onDECEMBER 8, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Replacing Molina in St. Louis Contreras and the Cardinals agreed Wednesday on a five-year, $87.5 million contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Impact In bringing aboard Contreras, St. Louis has found a replacement for longtime catcher Yadier Molina, who retired following the 2022 campaign after 19 seasons with the Cardinals. With Molina's production having waned in recent years, the 30-year-old Contreras will provide a major upgrade at the position, particularly on the offensive end. Over the past two seasons, Contreras' 121 wRC+ ranks third among all catchers who have logged at least 500 plate appearances over that stretch. While joining a strong Cardinals lineup that includes Nolan Arenado and reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt in the heart of the order, Contreras should have a good chance at improving upon the run and RBI totals he logged with sub-.500 Cubs teams both of the last two years.
DECEMBER 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
After nixed Deadline deal, Astros plan to meet with Contreras SAN DIEGO -- Astros manager Dusty Baker said during his media availability Monday afternoon at the Winter Meetings that the club plans to me...
DECEMBER 6, 2022 • MLB.COM
Astros' offseason options: 5 scenarios for the defending champions
The Astros won the 2022 World Series and currently don't have a general manager. Ace Justin Verlander is a free agent. What will they do thi...DECEMBER 1, 2022
Willson Contreras rejects qualifying offer while Cubs protect 4 prospects The Cubs added Brennen Davis, Kevin Alcántara, Ben Brown and Ryan Jensen to their 40-man roster.
NOVEMBER 16, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Chicago Cubs acquire infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni, while Willson Contreras declines their qualifying offer Willson Contreras becoming a free agent, after the release of Jason Heyward, leaves Kyle Hendricks as the last Chicago Cubs player left from...
NOVEMBER 15, 2022 • CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM
MLB free-agent hitter rankings: Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa lead top 20
The 2022 free-agent class is loaded with impact bats, including Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. We rank the top 20 and project potential team...NOVEMBER 11, 2022
Cubs extend qualifying offer to Contreras CHICAGO -- Willson Contreras is facing free agency after exiting Chicago as the longest-tenured player in the organization. The Cubs have no...
NOVEMBER 10, 2022 • MLB.COM
Cubs storylines from GM meetings: Coaching staff changes, Willson Contreras, Drew Smyly The Cubs plan on extending a qualifying offer to Contreras — but they haven’t yet.
NOVEMBER 9, 2022 • SUNTIMES.COM
Hits open market Contreras declined the Cubs' $19.65 million qualifying offer and became a free agent Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Impact Contreras slashed .243/.349/.466 in 2022 -- a very good individual season -- but he will now join the list of star players to depart from Chicago in the last couple of years as the Cubs enter a rebuild. Contreras is known as a great catcher and should garner plenty of interest from teams looking to add a high-quality piece to their lineup.
NOVEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
2022 MLB free agent rankings, team fits: Aaron Judge leads top 30
This year's group of MLB free agents features superstar hitters like Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa and ace pitchers like Justin Verlander. F...NOVEMBER 8, 2022
After his Cubs tenure nearly ended in August, Contreras' time in Chicago seems all but complete The Contreras-Cubs union isn’t officially over — there have been false starts to his goodbyes — but a return seems to be quite the longshot.
NOVEMBER 8, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Where could Willson Contreras land as a free agent if he leaves the Cubs? Our writers evaluate potential landing spots for Willson Contreras, including the Cardinals, Mets, Red Sox and more.
NOVEMBER 3, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
MLB free agent qualifying offer price $19.65M, up $1.25M
The price of a qualifying offer to Major League Baseball free agents rose to $19.65 million, an increase of $1.25 millionOCTOBER 15, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cubs' Hoyer planning more 'intelligent spending' this winter
Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer says he is encouraged by how the team finished the franchise's second straight losing seasonOCTOBER 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Ross, Chicago Cubs hope to build on strong 2nd half
The Chicago Cubs went 74-88 this season, a three-win improvement from 2021 that was good enough for third in the National League CentralOCTOBER 6, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
12 thoughts on the Chicago Cubs' rebuild that can't be called a rebuild, including that drone video and Willson Contreras' many goodbyes President Jed Hoyer will deliver the autopsy on the Chicago Cubs season soon at Wrigley Field. Nevertheless, Chairman Tom Ricketts has alrea...
OCTOBER 6, 2022 • DENVERPOST.COM
On bench for season finale Contreras isn't starting Wednesday against the Reds.
Impact Contreras went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and a strikeout Tuesday against Cincinnati, and he'll retreat to the bench for Wednesday's season finale. P.J. Higgins is starting behind the plate and batting seventh.
OCTOBER 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Hits 22nd home run Contreras went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Reds.
Impact Contreras is now up to 22 home runs with one more game on the schedule Wednesday. If the catcher plays in the afternoon contest, he'll need two long balls to tie his career high of 24, set back in 2019. Either way, it's been a solid season for Contreras, as the veteran has an .815 OPS across 113 games. It'll be his first OPS above .800 since that 2019 campaign, when he finished with a career-best .888 mark.
OCTOBER 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Reds avoid 100th loss with 3-2 walk-off win over Cubs
Spencer Steer doubled off Brandon Hughes in the ninth inning to score Stuart Fairchild and the Cincinnati Reds avoided their 100th loss, beating the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Tuesday nig...OCTOBER 5, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Riding pine Monday Contreras isn't in the lineup Monday against Cincinnati.
Impact Contreras started the last two games and went 0-for-6 with a run and two walks. He'll get a breather while Yan Gomes starts behind the dish and bats eighth.
OCTOBER 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
