Willson Contreras has never been one to hold back. From the moment he joined the St. Louis Cardinals, his outspoken nature and passion for the game were evident—especially in comments that praised the Cardinals’ old-school ways while taking a jab at his former team, the Chicago Cubs. Over the past three seasons, Contreras has brought energy and fire to the team.
However, his time in St. Louis has been anything but smooth. Since signing as a free agent, Contreras has been shuffled around the diamond—first moved from catcher to designated hitter, then back to catcher, and now he’s spending time at first base. At one point, there was even talk of sending him to the outfield. It’s fair to say he hasn’t always been treated well by the organization, and his frustration is understandable.
Contreras has publicly criticized the Cardinals’ front office, especially president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Near the end of the 2024 season, Contreras—who led the team with a .848 OPS—called out the team’s offensive struggles and urged leadership to address the holes in the lineup. “There’s some areas that need to be addressed,” he said in September. “I don’t know if the front office is going to, but… we didn’t come together as an offense at all during the whole year.”
Despite his pleas, the team made just one notable offseason signing: reliever Phil Maton. While the offense has improved slightly, especially with runners in scoring position, they still rank a mediocre 13th in the league in runs per game.
Contreras is also frustrated by the lack of support from his teammates when it comes to being hit by pitches. He’s been plunked 14 times this season—third-most in the league—and some of those pitches exceeded 99 mph. After being hit twice in one week, including once by Cubs reliever and once by Pirates ace Paul Skenes, Contreras voiced his anger. “It’s frustrating. It gets old,” he said. “I know they’re not trying to hit me in the hand. I’m a human being. It gets old… Hopefully somebody protects me.”
Additionally, Contreras has shown strong support for younger players. Following a stellar outing by Michael McGreevy against the Rockies, Contreras made a passionate case for the rookie to remain in the big leagues. Despite outperforming struggling veterans like Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde, McGreevy has been repeatedly sent back to Triple-A. Contreras didn’t hold back: “I think he’s ready to stay here. He doesn’t need to go back to Triple-A. That’s my take. And I’m going to say it. He’s ready.”
In voicing what many fans already believe, Contreras has once again put pressure on Mozeliak. If McGreevy is sent back down after another strong showing, it would be yet another questionable move by the front office.