Cardinals veteran now seems open to a trade out of St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals have dealt one of their biggest trade chips in Sonny Gray and appear likely to send at least one more player out of town before the start of the new year. While the most often name brought up has been Brendan Donovan, first baseman Willson Contreras now seems willing to play next season elsewhere.

Willson Contreras has apparently changed his stance on his no-trade clause

As first baseman Willson Contreras spent the final few weeks of his best Cardinals' season on the injured list, reports out of St. Louis were that the former catcher would once again prefer to stay with the Cardinals. Because of his no-trade clause, Contreras has final say in any trade and it appeared he was ticketed for another season at first base after conversations with Chaim Bloom led to reports that Contreras would not waive his clause, unless it made sense for all parties involved. A recent report by Katie Woo of The Athletic, though, shows that the first baseman has reportedly softened his stance on being dealt.

Those who follow me on Twitter know that I invested into Contreras' Cardinals career and see him as a great holdover piece as the organization begins its rebuild. I believe that he has the perfect leadership and energy to help the younger guys, while he also possessed the highest power on last year's squad as his 20 homers led the team. Just last week, I dove into how the future of the first base position is a big question mark for the organization, and a trade of Contreras would only put that problem to light quicker.

While I have been supportive of a Donovan trade, I have always cited the value of a potential return as well as the other players on the roster who could fill his spot on the diamond. That is not the case with Contreras, as he is a handful of years older than Donnie and defensively limited to first base, although he played it well in his debut season there. He also is owed $18 million this year, and without a lot of other teams around the league looking for help at first base, the market for Contreras, and therefore the return, would not be as valuable to me when compared with what he can bring to the Cardinals.

If Contreras were to be sent packing, a reasonable assumption would be that Silver Slugger award winner Alec Burleson would exchange his outfield glove for a first base mitt full-time, which then opens up another spot in the grass for another to be determined player. Right now, Ivan Herrera is expected to resume semi-regular catching duties, but the team could opt to give him some time in spring to get his bearings at first base, too. The minor leagues are currently empty with top prospect depth at the cold corner, so any upgrades to the current core would have to come from outside the organization.

In an attempt to remain consistent with my overall thoughts on veteran trade pieces for younger teams, I understand why Willson Contreras could be a valuable trade piece. It doesn't mean I have to like it.