5 trade partners who could convince Willson Contreras to leave the Cardinals

When the St. Louis Cardinals made it known that they would be heading into a rebuild, every veteran on their 2025 roster immediately became a clear trade candidate. The only problem with that is that each of their highly paid contributors had no trade clauses.

Well, Sonny Gray already waived his in order to join the Boston Red Sox, while Nolan Arenado has been more open to leaving this winter as well and is expanding his list of destinations in order to facilitate a move. Willson Contreras, on the other hand, was open about his desire to stay in St. Louis, and it was a real question entering the offseason as to whether or not he'd be willing to go.

Well, Katie Woo of The Athletic recently reported that Contreras has become more open to a potential move as of late, and as the Cardinals approach the Winter Meetings next week, he may find his name come up among contenders looking to upgrade their lineups for the 2026 season.

Brendan Donovan is the hot name in baseball circles right now, but Contreras's offensive production over the last few years will surely draw plenty of interest as well. Since becoming a Cardinal in 2022, Contreras's 129 wRC+ ranks 23rd in baseball among hitters with at least 1200 plate appearances, and among primary first basemen, that ranks sixth, only behind Freddie Freeman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Yandy Diaz, Bryce Harper, and Matt Olsen. Contreras also answered any questions people had about his move to first base, as he made a smooth transition defensively over to his new position.

Contreras, unlike Gray and Arenado, is actually on a very market-friendly deal and has outplayed the value of his contract each season he has been with St. Louis. While the Cardinals may eat money on a Contreras trade, it would just be to increase their return, not because he is overpaid or on a bad deal. With not a lot of bats to go around right now, Contreras should be a very appealing piece for interested contenders.

But, since Contreras is not necessarily eager to move, it is going to take the right kind of situation to woo him to leave St. Louis. Today I wanted to look at some teams that could do that as we enter next week's Winter Meetings.

Here are 5 teams that could convince Willson Contreras to leave the Cardinals via trade this offseason