3 potential trade destinations Cardinals' stars could get traded to during rebuild

Willson Contreras

Destinations: Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres

If Willson Contreras would like to go elsewhere and be a part of a winning ball club next year, I think there will be no shortage of suitors out there.

His bat has been elite the last two seasons, meaning that even if a club does not view him as their catcher, he would still be well worth the $18 million owed to him each season for the next three years.

Seattle feels like such an obvious fit to me. They have young pitching that would be of interest to St. Louis, and they badly need bats for their lineup to get them over the hump. Contreras would easily be the best bat in the lineup, but could quickly become the number two option if Julio Rodriguez has a bounce-back season. The Mariners' elite rotation could carry them far with the addition of Contreras and maybe another bat or two for the offense.

The Astros stand out here again as well, as if they want to continue to compete at a high-level next year, their lineup likely needs a new right-handed presence in it. They had interest in trading for Contreras at the 2023 trade deadline but balked due to him needing to learn their pitching staff, but with the improvements he made defensively this year and a full offseason and Spring Training to work with their staff, his bat is too good to pass on. And again, they could play him at other positions.

We all know the San Diego Padres love themselves splash moves. They traded for Juan Soto two summers ago, signed Xander Bogaerts the following offseason, traded Soto the next offseason, and then turned around and acquired both Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez. They then bolstered their bullpen at the deadline with Tanner Scott and Jason Adam as well.

Adding Contreras to their lineup of Arraez, Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jackson Merrill would be a massive get for a club that will likely lose Jurickson Profar in free agency. The Padres have also struggled to get offense from the catcher's spot in recent years, so Contreras would be a massive upgrade for them there.

Again, who knows if Contreras would actually request a trade? I could easily see him wanting to help lead the organization into their next era of baseball and be a part of their next winning team. He wanted to replace Yadier Molina for a reason, and while I would not blame him for leaving now, I think he has plenty of reason to try and be a part of the solution here.