5 teams who could entice Cardinals' Willson Contreras to waive his no-trade clause

New York Mets

If there is any clubhouse that needs a shake-up right now, it's the New York Mets. After coming into the 2025 season with a payroll well north of $300 million and signing Juan Soto to a record-breaking contract, the club somehow managed to blow their lead in the Wild Card race and get surpassed by the Cincinnati Reds.

While starting pitching was the clear weakness that took down the Mets as they pushed for October, they are going to have to make some big decisions this offseason when it comes to retaining what was a top-five offense in wRC+ and top 10 in runs scored on the season. Pete Alonso, who posted a 141 wRC+ and 38 home runs this year for them, is set to opt out of his contract again, and they may not want to give him the payday he is going to be looking for.

If Alonso leaves the Mets in free agency, Steve Cohen and David Sterns are going to have to get creative to replace his production. The Mets' left-handed bats led the team in a big way this year, and outside of Alonso, they really lack a force from the right side. Contreras, while not the same level of hitter as Alonso, could be part of that solution as a lower-cost and fewer years of commitment.

The Mets do have a strong farm system, so if they wanted to keep Contreras' salary even lower than the $18.5 million he is due on an annual basis, they could try and ask the Cardinals to eat more money in order to get a better prospect return. I think that is something that Chaim Bloom would be up for.

Outside of even just the offensive impact Contreras could make, I really do think his personality would provide the Mets with an edge and fire that they need right now. Contreras would have been fuming if he had been part of their collapse, and he would have challenged each member of the team to step their game up in order to rise to the occasion. Missing the playoffs with their level of talent is unacceptable, and I know Contreras would be letting them hear it.