1 sobering truth Willson Contreras shared about Cardinals rebuild, and 1 encouraging

Over the last week, different members of the St. Louis Cardinals have become more candid about the future of the club, in large part due to hearing from Chaim Bloom themselves. Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, and Willson Contreras all keep reiterating the same thing — a rebuild is coming.

While we've seen those reports for a while now and it's been pretty clear to the fanbase that this is the direction they'll be heading in, it's a whole different thing to hear players not only acknowledge what we observe, but to put Bloom's own words to it as well. They continue to reiterate that they "know where things are headed," and veterans like Arenado and Gray seem ready to find new homes this offseason.

Well, Willson Contreras has been candid with his remarks as well, but his preference is to remain with the Cardinals, providing both sobering and encouraging news for fans in the process.

It's sobering that Willson Contreras knows the Cardinals are in for a long rebuild, but it's encouraging that he is confident about being a part of it.

When Contreras spoke with the media about his future this weekend, he doubled down on his desire to stay in St. Louis, but did give credence to the idea that this may be a long rebuild for the Cardinals, according to his conversation with Bloom.

“It might take three to five years to have a playoff team or a team that can contend for a World Series,” he continued. “Even if I don’t make it there and you guys make it to the World Series, I feel like I could be a part of that because I want to help the young guys, too.”

Again, we knew the rebuild was coming, but to see the time frame for being a playoff team or a World Series contender being three to five years is pretty jarring. I think most fans were more hopeful for a two- to three-year timetable...five years is a long way away.

That's a sobering statement from Contreras for sure, but I do think another comment he made should give Cardinals fans hope. We all know Contreras is not one to mince words. At the end of the 2024 season, he made a plea to the Cardinals front office to be aggressive, and they chose to instead sit on their hands that winter. So if Contreras were worried about the direction things were heading, he would be the first to say it. But instead, he seemed to be impressed by what Bloom had to share.

“I think he’s come with a different vision, and he knows what he’s going to do,” Contreras said. “He’s an experienced president, an experienced guy in the front office. I like the talk we had, and we’ll see how this plays out.”

That should be encouraging to Cardinals fans. If Contreras did not like what Bloom had to share or had his doubts about how successful he would be in turning things around, I highly doubt he'd be as adamant about staying in St. Louis. Sure, he's leaving the door open for a trade, but he's made it very clear he wants to be with the Cardinals and would only consider the deal if it made sense for both sides.

Contreras' blunt nature makes him someone fans should be quick to listen to. This may be a long rebuild awaiting the Cardinals, but at least in Contreras's eyes, things seem to be going in the right direction.