Cardinals: Here is Willson Contreras’ first message for St. Louis fans

Willson Contreras has a message for Cardinals fans: Let’s do this, St. Louis!

The St. Louis Cardinals made their big move of the off-season, signing catcher Willson Contreras to a 5-year, $87.5 million deal to replace the legendary Yadier Molina as their backstop of the future. While this news has taken Cardinal Nation by storm, Contreras has been quite since news broke, until now.

In a story on The Players Tribune, Contreras wrote an open letter saying goodbye to Cubs fans and offering excitement to Cardinals fans. He began his open letter by stating what needed to be said.

"First things first: No one could ever replace Yadier Molina. We all know that. It’s impossible. Actually, if there’s some word that means even more impossible than the word impossible … that’s what it is."

Contreras has been open about his friendship with Molina, and it appears that respect has not wavered one bit the the 30-year old. Contreras will look to make his mark on the Cardinal organization, but he’ll do so as Willson Contreras, not the next Yadier Molina.

He went on to say the opportunity to replace Molina was a huge factor in coming to St. Louis, and that it was “one of the great honors of my entire life”.

The humility that Contreras is showing in his approach to succeeding Molina is one of the reasons he will do that so well, and Cardinal Nation will fall in love with him. He understands baseball history, respects the game, and does so with the same kind of fire Molina brought day in, and day out. It has been clear for months that Contreras wanted to take on this challenge, and now he has the opportunity.

After reflecting on his time in Chicago, Contreras was quick to turn his attention to his excitement to compete with the Cardinals, citing his unity with the Cardinals front office and manager Oli Marmol. Simply put by Contreras:

"This is a team that’s built to win. They’re built to win now, and they’re built to win in the future, too. It’s a team that’s constantly improving. And this roster is filled with amazing players — Arenado, Goldschmidt, Edman, Gorman, all those pitchers … I could go on and on. It’s just super exciting to me. I can’t wait to get to spend time with all of them and get to know them and start working toward a world championship."

Contreras is ready to step on the diamond and push this Cardinal team toward new heights alongside its mixture of veterans and young talent. If you were not already excited about Contreras’ signing, you should be. This guy is going to be a catalyst for the Cardinals, both with his play on the field and his fire that will ignite this team and this fan base.

Contreras’ full post can be found on The Players Tribune titled “Let’s Do This, St. Louis!”.