The St. Louis Cardinals come into the offseason with much to do. Chaim Bloom will be taking over as the club's newest president of baseball operations, tasked with getting this organization back up and running like a well-oiled machine.
Unfortunately, the team has looked like a shell of itself over the last few seasons. After being one of MLB's most consistent clubs over the years, they have missed the postseason the last three seasons in a row.
The club is expected to commit to its young core, and that could mean trading away some valuable assets over the winter. One of these players who is on the chopping block is Willson Contreras.
Cardinals' Willson Contreras addresses trade rumors, likes 'challenges' of rebuild
Willson Contreras understands that his time in St. Louis could be coming to a close. However, according to MLB.com's Jeff Jones, the slugger would like to stick around and be a mentor for the younger guys.
"I'd like to be a part of a young team that needs to have some kind of experience around them.. That's what I expressed, but I understand the part of the business of the team, and we just came to an agreement there," said Contreras. "I like challenges. I know that the St. Louis Cardinals have a really good track record of being a winning team. I know that right now we're not having a really good team — but I'd just like to be a part of the process."
Contreras wants to be a part of the challenge of building the team back up through their farm system and help those players out. He feels he could be a big help in this way and does not want to put on a different jersey in 2026.