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

Milwaukee Brewers

I'll be honest, there are other teams that could have taken this final spot, like the Red Sox, Yankees, or Diamondbacks, but sometimes these wild trade partners pop up and make a splash move, so I didn't want to rule out the Milwaukee Brewers pairing up the Contreras brothers this offseason.

Look, I don't think the Cardinals would trade Contreras in the division, but it wouldn't be the craziest thing we've seen. If Bloom really wants to maximize the talent he gets in return for Contreras, sending him to Milwaukee may be the best way to do that.

First, the Brewers would have to pay that "division tax" that would incentivise the Cardinals to move him to a rival like them. There's no way that Bloom does that just because he's only sending Contreras to Milwaukee if it is the best deal available to them.

Second, we all know that the Brewers operate on a small payroll, and while Contreras' money is not crazy by any means, they may want to see St. Louis pay down the deal to make it more manageable for them, and if so, that should increase the return as well. Given the state of Milwaukee's farm system right now, they have plenty of ammunition to make a deal like that.

The Brewers ranked third in runs scored among all MLB teams this year and ninth in wRC+, and so while they don't necessarily need to make a huge splash to improve their lineup, I do think most people believe there was a bit of smoke and mirrors to their success as a team this year at the plate, so adding another bat to their mix wouldn't be a bad idea.

I have no idea if the Contreras brothers would want this, but I kind of think they'd thrive off the idea of playing together and seeking to win a World Series title. Both players have won World Series on their own already, so partnering together would mean chasing a second World Series championship together. They are clearly close, and it could make for a really fun storyline to follow in their careers.