14 Cardinals who won't survive Chaim Bloom's offseason overhaul

Willson Contreras

Now here is where I am taking a pretty big risk in saying that someone won't survive Bloom's offseason makeover for the Cardinals' roster. Willson Contreras holds a no-trade clause and has very clearly stated his desire to remain with the St. Louis Cardinals...but he did leave open the door to a trade if it makes sense for both him and the Cardinals.

For Bloom, trading Contreras away from St. Louis makes sense for multiple reasons. First, it's an opportunity to dump even more salary, something the Cardinals are surely looking to do this offseason. Contreras' deal, unlike Gray's and especially Arenado's, is actually below market value by a little bit, but it's still a pretty penny that I'm sure the Cardinals will prioritize offloading as much of it as possible in a deal. But, they could still get an interesting piece or two in return.

Along with offloading money and gaining prospect capital, moving Contreras frees up another lineup spot for a young player. Alec Burleson can take over at the position full-time, and both Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan have a bit of experience there as well. Assuming Burleson takes that spot, it makes fitting Gorman, Jordan Walker, and other Cardinals who really don't have a lineup spot locked up right now a lot easier.

For Contreras, he loves St. Louis and playing for the Cardinals, so in order to leave, he's going to have to be lured to an organization that he thinks he would enjoy playing for and give him a much better chance to compete for a World Series. I can think of multiple teams that fit that bill, and I'll cover them on the site in the near future.

So, while Contreras has stated he would like to stay, and I could easily see that happening, I am going to predict that as the offseason goes on, Contreras' itch to play for a contender will grow, and a team is going to swoop in and capture his attention in a way that makes saying yes to a deal a lot easier. Clearly, the Cardinals think it is a good idea to move Contreras, or else they wouldn't plan on exploring trades still, even in light of his request to stay. We'll see if he ends up being open to a move, but I think a team will convince him to leave St. Louis.