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Derrick Goold | Post-Dispatch CHICAGO — During what he described as a lengthy conversation Friday, Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras heard directly from the source about the direction the club is going, the emphasis on homegrown players, and the time incoming president Chaim Bloom believes it could take to contend like Contreras signed here to do. The All-Star came to a conclusion. He told Bloom he’d like to stay and be a part of the turnaround. “I understood his point. I understood the path he’s going to take,” Contreras said. “I just told him I would like to be a part of the process. I would like to be a part of the process because I would like to be a part of the young team that is going to need to have some of experience around them.” Contreras holds a complete no-trade clause and can reject any offer the Cardinals receive for him, just like Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray. In the past week, Contreras’ teammates have expressed an openness to being traded. Arenado said he believes “change” is coming and this will be his final weekend with the Cardinals. The All-Star third baseman, who has two years remaining on his contract, said this past week that he will likely expand the number of teams he’d approve to facilitate a trade. After his final start of the season this past week, Gray said he would consider waiving his no-trade clause if the Cardinals find a trade that moves him to a team more urgent to contend. Contreras has been steadfast in his preference to stay. A year ago, the Cardinals offered him the possibility of being traded and he was willing to move positions, from catcher to first base, so that he did not have to move teams. At the trade deadline this season, he reaffirmed his wish to stay and contend with the Cardinals. What he heard Friday from Bloom, who is in Chicago on the team trip for the first time this season, did not dissuade his wish to stay. “Because I like challenges. I like challenges,” Contreras said when the Post-Dispatch asked him why. “I know that the St. Louis Cardinals have a really good track record of winning, of being a winning team. And I know that right now, we’re not having a winning team. But I just like the process, and I’d like to be a part of the process. We have a lot of talent here, and everything starts in the minors. I understand that. “It might take three to five years to have a playoff team or a team that can contend for a World Series,” he continued. “Even if I don’t make it there and you guys make it to the World Series, I feel like I could be a part of that because I want to help the young guys, too.” As part of their conversation, Bloom and Contreras agreed to remain in touch through the winter, the first baseman said. He expects the Cardinals to explore the market for any trade interest in him, and if a deal “makes sense for the Cardinals” he’ll listen to see if it also makes sense for him to accept. But several times he said his “intuition” and preference is to stay. Contreras, 33, explained his view Saturday afternoon while sitting in the visitors’ dugout at Wrigley Field. Contreras went on the injured list with a biceps strain during the last home stand, but he rejoined the team in Chicago for the weekend. An All-Star and a World Series champion as a Cub, Contreras signed with the Cardinals after the 2022 season to be the heir at catcher to Yadier Molina. The Cardinals, persuaded by an in-person meeting with Contreras near his Orlando, Florida, home, signed him to a five-year, $87.5 million deal. He has two years and $36.5 million remaining on the deal along with a $5 million buyout for the 2028 season. He seamlessly transitioned from catcher to first base this season, proving to be an above average fielder at the new position and a reliable cornerman for the Cardinals’ other infielders. He reaches the final weekend of the season leading the team with 20 home runs to go with a .791 OPS, a .447 slugging percentage, and 80 RBIs. He and the Cardinals felt the move to first base would allow for more games played, more durability, and ultimately more longevity for his career. It would alleviate the bruising he took behind the mask. And it did, mostly. He was hit by a National League-high 23 pitches. So much of the enthusiasm that Contreras expressed when signing with the Cardinals was related to improving as a catcher, sharing the same uniform as Molina, and winning year after year like he watched the Cardinals do as an archrival Cub. His experience with the club has been different. He’s yet to appear in a playoff game with the Cardinals, and two of his three seasons have been the only losing seasons in the past 20 years. Sitting in the dugout at Wrigley, he was asked about that and yet sounds more committed to remaining a Cardinal. Contreras grinned. “It’s a weird situation, right?” he said. “Because we’re not winning but I’d also like to be a part of the process. I’m not concerned about anything of my future. I’m not concerned about anything else (other than) the Cardinals. I signed here. And this is the place I wanted to be. I still feel that same way. Nothing has changed.” The front office will, and the roster is about to, too. Gray said he’s had “ample” conversations with Bloom about the direction of the Cardinals and “knows the deal.” Arenado has had some conversations with Bloom already, but he planned to have a longer discussion with the incoming executive in the coming days. The Cardinals have internal reviews scheduled for the coming week, and a public transition from John Mozeliak to Bloom’s leadership is expected early in the week. Bloom has been in the clubhouse and talking with staff and players this weekend in Wrigley — a head start on sharing where he sees the Cardinals headed. “I think he’s come with a different vision, and he knows what he’s going to do,” Contreras said. “He’s an experienced president, an experienced guy in the front office. I like the talk we had, and we’ll see how this plays out.”
