ST. LOUIS – Claiming that he hasn’t “done enough for me to leave the city yet,” Willson Contreras confirmed his wishes to remain in St. Louis and with the Cardinals during a recent meeting with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak regarding the direction of the club before Thursday’s Trade Deadline.
Contreras, who signed a five-year, $87.5 million free-agent contract before the 2023 season that includes a no-trade clause, told the Cardinals the same thing before the season when the club declared that it would be using the season to promote development and opportunities for its young core. Encouraged by a season where the Cardinals have stayed in the hunt for a Wild Cards spot before a July swoon, Contreras said he feels more strongly than ever that the Cardinals are on the right track to return to contention.
“I’m going to stay here; I’m not going nowhere,” Contreras said before the Cardinals were blanked by former St. Louis prospect Sandy Alcantra and the Marlins 5-0 on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. “I’m good here. I already talked to [Mozeliak] earlier this week, and everything is still the same.
“It’s a business, and [Mozeliak] doesn’t seem like he wants to trade me. He said 'no' and I said 'no,' so we’re good.”
Little good came from Tuesday’s loss. Staff ace, Sonny Gray, surrendered three runs, eight hits and his first home run to a left-handed hitter in his past 13 starts (165 lefties faced). Gray admitted that the St. Louis temperatures – 93 degrees at first pitch and well above 100 with the heat index on the field – were factors all night.
“It’s tough because everything is just wet,” Gray said of the same issues that Alcantara complained about on Tuesday. “Everyone’s dealing with it, obviously. But it’s tough to grip anything because everything is wet. It is a real challenge and something that I’ve tried to overcome in the past and throughout my career. It’s just tough.”
Gray, who also told MLB.com that he has no desire to leave the Cardinals and told Mozeliak as much during a recent meeting, has admittedly struggled to handle the St. Louis heat in July. He was 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and five home runs allowed in four starts in July of 2024. This July, he has made six starts and has gone 2-3 with a 7.81 ERA and five homers allowed.
“Overall, when you look at his career -- especially the last few years -- July hasn’t treated him well, but he bounces back and does a really nice job,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “So, we’re looking forward to that next [start].”
Contreras sent a scare into Marmol and the Cardinals in the ninth inning when he bobbled a grounder, but he recovered in time to beat Marlins’ speedster Xavier Edwards to the bag. Edwards was originally called safe, but the play was overturned following a replay review. Contreras, who arrived at the bag about the same time as lefty reliever John King and Edwards, stayed in the game despite gashing his right knee on the dirt when he slid into the bag to try and avoid a collision.
Contreras’ fiery hustle also worked against the Cardinals earlier in Tuesday’s game. After lacing a hard-hit ball to left field in the sixth inning, Contreras tried stretching a single into a double, but he was easily thrown out by Marlins All-Star Kyle Stowers in a 5-0 game.
Those are the kinds of moments the Cardinals will have to continue to live with involving Contreras, who sometimes tries to will his team with his fiery and aggressive persona. Marmol said he will gladly accept the occasional hiccup from Contreras, who desperately wants to be a part of a winner in St. Louis.
“He’s passionate about being in St. Louis and being a part of what we’re doing,” Marmol said. “He likes what’s going on and where we’re headed and wants to make sure he can continue to be himself and bring value to this whole thing, which I’m super appreciative of. I like having him around and I love that guy.”
Contreras has been vocal in the Cardinals clubhouse about players continuing to focus on the games ahead instead of the Deadline. He is aware some players he has played alongside of the over the past three seasons – namely two-time All-Star Ryan Helsley, 10-time Gold Glover Nolan Arenado and swingman Steven Matz – could soon be headed elsewhere via trades.
“We’ll see what’s going to happen until the last day, but I’m not thinking about any of that,” said Contreras, who is tied with Alec Burleson for the team lead in home runs with 14.