Pair of former Cardinals on spiraling squad fail to garner deserving All-Star nods

The St. Louis Cardinals reunited with their trade deadline dance partner over the offseason when President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom paired up with the Boston Red Sox to deal Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to his old club, who was hoping to contend for a title in 2026. Instead, the Red Sox have been a massive failure this season, and it's likely played a major role in Contreras and Gray, both of whom are having strong seasons, failing to crack the American League All-Star team over less deserving players.

Contreras' fWAR of 2.9 is tied for eighth in the American League among position players and is the highest among those who didn't make it to the Midsummer Classic. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was voted in as the starting first baseman for the American League despite having a career-worst season and an fWAR of only 0.7. Guerrero opted out of the All-Star Game and will be replaced by Nick Kurtz, who deserves a spot, and the league chose the New York Yankees' Ben Rice as another first baseman for the team, who has five more home runs than Contreras but trails him in fWAR by 0.5.

Unlike Contreras' standing among position players, Gray isn't one of the top starting pitchers in the American League, but he's arguably the best piece in Boston's rotation this season. Unfortunately for Gray, the players and commissioner's office decided to place fellow starter Ranger Suárez on the roster instead. Gray leads the Boston rotation in ERA, ERA+ and WHIP, but he trails Suárez in strikeouts. Gray's 1.6 fWAR is tied with fellow Red Sox starter Payton Tolle as the best on the team, but Gray outperforms Tolle in nearly every counting stat.

Contreras may be lamenting his decision to bolt from the Cardinals

Contreras was reluctant to depart from St. Louis, but Bloom persuaded him to waive his no-trade clause. Contreras may be wishing that he had held firm with his preference to stand pat in the Gateway City, as the Cardinals are outperforming the Red Sox and are refreshingly drama-free compared with the mess in Boston. But had Contreras stayed in St. Louis, the Cardinals wouldn't have acquired major league contributor Hunter Dobbins and prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita, who could help the team in the coming years.

Contreras still might not have made the All-Star team had he remained with the Cardinals, as Jordan Walker's breakout has deservingly given him a spot on the team, and the National League is jam-packed with stars, far more so than the American League. Alongside starter Freddie Freeman, Contreras would have also had to contend with Luis Arraez, Matt Olson and Sal Stewart, not to mention "legend" selection Bryce Harper. The National League's pitching is similarly stacked, and Gray likely wouldn't have made it in even if he were the Cardinals' unquestioned ace.

As the All-Star break draws closer, there will almost certainly be more players dropping out of the festivities, which could give Contreras a real shot to make it to the game despite not being voted in. Regardless, it's hard not to feel for Contreras, who seems to have had misfortune and drama follow him since he joined the Cardinals prior to the 2023 season. The Red Sox are unlikely to go anywhere this year, but fans and those around the game should have still recognized Contreras' and Gray's contributions to the team and given the former Cardinals their dues.

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