Willson Contreras ‘More Willing’ to Waive NTC for Right Move

The Cardinals were unable to move any of their pricey veterans last season due to those players’ unwillingness to waive their no-trade clauses, but that all appears to be changing. New president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom was already able to flip Sonny Gray for a pair of younger pitchers from Boston, and now both Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras could be on the move. Though moving Arenado is a much higher priority, it should be much easier to find a taker for the former Cubs catcher.

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, Contreras “has become more willing to waive his full no-trade clause for the right fit.” Might have something to do with him finally getting tired of living in St. Louis for seven months out of the year. Now a full-time first baseman, the 33-year-old Contreras has two years and $36.5 million remaining on a deal that includes a $17.5 million club option for 2028. That could be attractive to a team looking to upgrade first base at a lower cost than they might find in free agency.

Then again, the Cards aren’t highly motivated to move Contreras and probably won’t do so unless they get a sweetheart offer. That’s not entirely likely given his need to approve the trade, but the calculus could well change at the deadline or next winter. More to come as this situation develops.