Cardinals part ways with ex-Cubs hero who had one wild ride in St. Louis

Once a World Series hero and fan favorite, Willson Contreras did not garner much love from Cubs fans after he signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the rival Cardinals in 2023. While it hurt to see the former Cubs All-Star join the enemy, it was the "better organization" comment and saying he "dreamed" of being a Cardinal that caused a number of the North Side faithful to sour on him.

Contreras never saw the postseason in St. Louis, as the team has gone through some of its roughest years in decades. While he hit well, with a .261/.358/.459 slashing line and an .817 OPS, 55 home runs, and a 127 OPS+ in 344 games, his time at catcher was reduced and then eliminated, as he was moved to first.

The Cardinals' way wasn't exactly what Willson Contreras experienced in St. Louis.

Not unusual for catchers who can produce with the bat that age, but it coincides with the Cubs' decision to move on after 2022. Jed Hoyer wanted to prioritize skills and communication behind the plate. In his first year as a Cardinal, Contreras posted a -8 DRS (defensive runs saved), -10.3 FRM (FanGraphs Pitch Framing), and -4 OAA behind the plate. In 2024, he played 431.2 innings at catcher before being permanently moved to first.

The move away from catcher stirred up a lot of conversation among Cubs fans, and the decision to move on. It could be argued that the Cubs could have done that with Contreras and moved him to first, but the recent finding of Michael Busch makes that moot.

Now his time as a Cardinal is over. He was a Red Bird for three years and did not fail to ruffle some feathers with the Cubs and some fans in that time. From the "bring on the boos" gestures he made at Wrigley in his return, to him and Daniel Palencia barking at each other last year. He is an emotional guy who wears it on his sleeve, and he admitted the emotion got the best of him regarding his "better organization" comments and after the incident with Palencia.

Will Cubs fans still hold a grudge? Boston is no rival of the Cubs, and time heals wounds. He was a major part of the golden era of Cubs baseball. There are still people wearing Contreras Cubs jerseys around Wrigleyville, so it's not like all Cubs fans hold a grudge. For those who do, it will probably be a mixed bag.