Cardinals, ex-Cub Willson Contreras agree to five-year, $87.5M deal, per report
CHICAGO (CBS SPORTS) -- The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed on a five-year deal worth $87.5 million with free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. Contreras will succeed Yadier Molina, who retired this offseason, as the Cardinals' starting backstop.
Contreras, 30 years old, is a three-time All-Star and one of the best hitting backstops in the majors. Last season, he hit .243/.349/.466 (128 OPS+) with 22 home runs. Cardinals catchers, for comparison, batted .209/.261/.291 with nine home runs. Of course, the key matter for Contreras will be his defensive ability, something that's likely to be spotlighted given who he replaces behind the dish.
Contreras was the top available free-agent backstop. That distinction now goes to Christian Vázquez, who has drawn interest from Contreras' former team, the Chicago Cubs, among others. The Cardinals had also been tied, along with a handful of contenders, to Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy -- one of the top players on the trading block.