Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - RUMOR MILL: St. Louis Cardinals’ Willson Contreras Emerges as HOT Trade Target For The Red Sox!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Another team has popped up with interest in first baseman Wilson Contreras, and it's a familiar name that the Cardinals just can't stop doing business with. You are locked on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Hafer, a former national radio sports anchor, born and raised in St. Louis and a lifetime Cardinals fan. And I am your host for Locked on Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. now the number one, sports podcast network. Welcome into another episode. Big thank you to all the everydayers for being here with us this entire time. For those of you who are new, welcome in.

Starting point is 00:00:44 Happy holidays. Hope you enjoy the content. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving you all the info about the birds on the bat. Today's episode brought to you by GameTime. Download the Game Time app. Create an account. Use go locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Today's show, did the Cardinals screw up?

Starting point is 00:01:01 Yvonne Herrera's development as a catcher. signs point to yeah maybe that happened i'm bloom had some thoughts on that uh we'll look at the reliever market some pretty good names remain out there that i think the cardinals should be looking at but we start with the latest rumors about first baseman wilson contraris whose name continues to be brought up around the league since the pita lanzo deal went down in baltimore he got introduced uh today to the baltimore audience uh got to put on the uniform looks weird i'll admit I think of them used to them in a Mets uniform. But yesterday, it was the Mets.

Starting point is 00:01:35 They were interested in Wilson Contreras today. Stop me if you've heard this before. It's the Boston Red Sox, interested in a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. Yeah, that's right. According to your reports, our friends from Beantown are reaching out once again about bringing over another member of the Cardinals to the Sox.

Starting point is 00:01:52 Now, this time the news comes from Chris Cotillo, who covers the Sox for Mass Live.com. He writes that Boss remains engaged with Free Agent Alex Bragman, a source said, and is involved in trade talks with Arizona on Catel Marte, as well as Houston on ESSAC parades. The Red Sox are one of many teams interested in Cardinal's second baseman, Bernard Donovan, but St. Louis still might hold on to him. And a new name has also surfaced for the Red Sox,

Starting point is 00:02:24 who, according to a source, are pursuing Donovan's teammate Wilson Contreras in trade talks. The three-time All-Star played first base, 120 games instead of catching last year, and is thought to be available with two years, $41 million and a 2028 club option remaining on his deal. He has a full no trade clause, but might be willing to waive it for the right fit. He went on to say that the Red Sox don't feel like they need a resolution for Bregman's camp before pouncing on another hitter and to that end continue to try to move the ball down the field on other talks. As of Friday, they, along with many other clubs, remain engaged with. with Arizona on Marte, but nothing was close.

Starting point is 00:03:03 One source described the talks to this point as exploratory. Fans, myself included, are starting to get a little bit impatient, aren't we? We're starting to get a little impatient. You know why? Because that is the world we live in and we expect things to happen super fast all the time, just like your internet, your phone, anything, instant gratification. That's what we want, right? So we're starting to get a little impatient with all of this stuff

Starting point is 00:03:26 because we want to know who the heck is going to be on this Cardinals team, bring training rolls around in a couple of months. We expected movement at the winter meetings, then get it. And I'm fully prepared for things to remain like this for quite a bit longer because there are a lot of challenges out there before teams are going to get around to making a deal for anybody on the Cardinals roster. As much as we would like to get things moving, the players that the Cardinals have and are willing to move don't appear to be a top priority right now.

Starting point is 00:03:57 There are other things that are coming before them, before they get to them. Now, this whole Coutelle-Marté situation is certainly holding up a lot of things around the league, including the Brendan Donovan trade situation. Marte is on what I consider, at least, a team-friendly deal over the next six years, considering how prices continue to go up, especially for somebody who's produced the way he has. He's been unbelievable. He has 32, though. So many teams may be proceeding with caution when it comes to what they're willing to give up.

Starting point is 00:04:27 to get them. It will be interesting for the Cardinals, though, because although they're not going to, you know, get the same return as Arizona will for Marte, it will at least give you an idea about what teams are willing to part with, certain players, certain positions that they have depth that. And then Hime can use that knowledge to negotiate with teams that don't get Ketel-Marte. You've also got the raise, Brandon Lau out there as well. The Cubs Nico Horner was brought up recently, too, which I was like, what? Like, I'm not trying to tell the Cubs what to do, but I feel like Nico Horder is a very underrated guy.

Starting point is 00:05:04 And I would not let that dude off my team if I was the Chicago Cubs. But if you want to, by all means, get them out of here. Get them out of here. We'll take them on the carvers if you don't want them. Anyway, teams want to cash in. This is the whole thing, is the teams want to cash in on the demand that is going out there right now at the position of infield. just like the Cardinals are.

Starting point is 00:05:28 They don't have to trade these guys. The Arizona doesn't have to trade. Tell Marte, the race don't have to trade Brandon Lowe. Cubs don't have to trade Nico Horner. But they're going to listen. They're going to listen. You know, Alex Breggman is still out there again, which is certainly holding up any known-a-arnato movement.

Starting point is 00:05:44 And now you've got Wilson Contreras's name bouncing around as teams try to figure out what they're going to do at first base this season. When the Alonzo talks were ongoing, there were three teams that were constantly, mentioned. Okay, I'm sure there were other teams that checked in on them and were like, eh, what do you think? But the three that were brought up over and over and over were the Orioles, who ultimately got him, the Red Sox and then the Mets. So it only makes sense that now that he is a member of the Baltimore Orioles, that the Mets and the Sox would turn their attention to

Starting point is 00:06:15 another right-handed hitting first baseman that, you know, has got some pop that can fill that void. And that's why they would turn to the Cardinals and Wilson Contreras. But both of them are clearly interested in multiple free agents other than just dealing with whatever they're dealing with over at first base. So I would think it's going to push those talks about Contreras on the back burner at least for a little bit. There was an article about the Red Sox in particular from a guy by the name of, I don't know him, but Mani Randawa. It was at MLB.com. And he was talking about different options that the Red Sox had after missing out on Schwerber and on Alonzo. and Contreras was nowhere to be found in that article.

Starting point is 00:06:57 He brought up bringing Bregman back. He talked about free agents Boba Chatt and Ah, Eugenio-Swarres, Marte from Arizona, obviously, Kazuma Okamoto from Japan, brought him up as well. Nothing about Wilson Contreras, which just in my opinion shows you where he is on the totem pole as far as guys they need to acquire right now. Kind of gives you an idea of that peck in order of things at this point. it's exciting that the Mets in Boston want Willie,

Starting point is 00:07:24 but I'm not expecting a move to be made until they've exhausted their chances in other areas first. But that's just my expectation. I could be completely wrong. If I am wrong and something happens sooner rather than later, you know, before the end of the year, then cool. I'm glad that we'll get some closure on stuff like this. But I'm fully prepared for this to drag out a little bit, though,

Starting point is 00:07:45 and I think you should be too. And again, if it doesn't and it gets done, and they find a resolution to all of this. Quicker. Cool. Then I'll be more than happy to say, hey, I was wrong and good for you guys, getting the job done. But I'm just saying that's my expectation right now. Derek Gould from the Post Dispatch added some thoughts on things the Cardinals are trying to add specifically to the bullpen. So I want to share my thoughts on that with you. Plus, Heim Bloom's comments about the development or lack thereof for Von Herrera as a catcher while he was

Starting point is 00:08:17 coming up in the system. We'll get to all of that coming up on Locked on Cardinals. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994. And with 48 teams for the first time ever, it's going to be massive, you guys. This is going to be a huge event for the United States. But let's be honest, trying to get tickets to something like that probably feels like it's going to be really, really hard. But that's why the game time app is there. It is clutch. It will finally give you the fan a real advantage when it comes to snagging the seats.

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Starting point is 00:10:03 You can join the everyday or club today and get locked on Cardinals with no interruptions. Members only Discord access and more all for just $5 a month or $50 a year. If you want to go that route, go to locked on STL Cardinals.com or check the link in the show notes to learn more. Now with all the talking about trading guys away, I know, that's been dominating the headlines for the Cardinals. and for good reason, because there's big names that the cardals have been looking to shop. They've already traded one of them in Sunny Gray. But it feels like, you know, when you just hear this over and over and over, that all they're doing is subtracting players in payroll, which isn't necessarily the case.

Starting point is 00:10:43 I mean, they are doing that. I mean, you still have to feel a 26-man roster, though. So you still have to bring some bodies back in at some point to fill the spots that you have traded away. And if they decide to make a move on, you know, Nato eventually or Wilson can, Trenas or Lars Neupar or any of these guys that, you know, had starting positions with the cardals, you've got to refill that spot. Somebody you've got to play there. And we've heard Heinbloom say repeatedly that although they have a long-term goal and they want to achieve that and that's their main focus, they're not tanking.

Starting point is 00:11:15 They're not just getting rid of everybody. This isn't a, you know, fire sale where everybody has to go. It doesn't matter how young you are, how old. Like everybody got to go. That's not the case. The plan is to continue to compete, according to them. but to get back to the top of the mountain, they do have to do things a little bit differently.

Starting point is 00:11:31 And because of that, these high-priced veterans like Willie and Otto might be better served playing elsewhere. They would prefer that, go someplace that is more of a wind-down mode than where the Cardinals are at this point. Willie has said that he's more than happy to stick around, but he would waive the no-trade clause

Starting point is 00:11:48 if something pops up that makes sense for him and his family. Guys like Brent Donovan and Jojo Romero, Newt, Alec Burleson, it's more about taking advantage of the market demand than anything else. You know, it never hurts to listen on guys. Maybe you find a desperate GM that's willing to give you a crazy amount of stuff for someone. You just don't know. If there's one phrase that I will always remember from the Jam O'Saylock era,

Starting point is 00:12:11 it's that nobody is ever truly untradable. Clearly certain guys would take an astronomical amount to get them, but nobody is ever untradable, right? you figure something out where there's a value that comes back to you where you're like, I can't say no to that. But the Cardinals, if they knew move some of these guys, will have to find replacements for them. And that brings me to what Derek Gould was saying in his article,

Starting point is 00:12:36 which is linked in the description of the show notes for you to check out if you want to, about trading Jojo Romero away, a move that has been getting, at least in my eyes, I've been noticing a considerable pushback from the fan base because, I mean, well, he's good. You know, just like Willie and Donnie, these guys have been good in a Cardinals uniform. So fans are more reluctant to see them go. Same thing with Sunny. I don't think a lot of people are like, get them out of here. This dude is garbage.

Starting point is 00:13:04 That's not how people were reacting to it. They were like, why are we getting rid of our best pitcher? We need pitching, don't we? Don't we? Isn't that the idea? You know, it's different. Fans weren't clamoring for them to get rid of these guys the way they are for, you know, say, a Miles Michael is or Stephen Matt's at one point,

Starting point is 00:13:21 Eric Fetty, even young guys like Gorman and Walker, you're going to, you'll see them in the comment section. They're like, he's, he's not good. They're trash, get them out of here. The guys that perform well, they don't want to get rid of them. Fans want you to add pieces around those guys, not get rid of them. So that brings me to what Gould had to say in his article. Again, it's in the in the comment section and stuff and in the info below, a twist in the reshuffling of the roster for the Cardinals. They want to achieve this winter as how the pitcher rolls they're willing to trade are also the ones they seek to add. As they consider offers from several teams for lefty reliever Jojo Romero, the Cardinals are exploring the free agent market for a veteran reliever, possibly a lefty to add to the

Starting point is 00:14:07 summer. The Cardinals want to add a seasoned reliever in the mold of Phil Maton or Andrew Kittres to the roster. And that's the strategy. Dio when the offer is right and backfill with short-term options. from the open market. Now, the top guys have already been swooped up in the reliever market. Diaz officially to the Dodgers. Suarez, Robert Swares, went to the Braves, who had already signed to Galacios, so they got two solid, I would say above solid,

Starting point is 00:14:36 guys that they back into their bullpen for the foreseeable future. Helsley went to Baltimore, David Williams went to the Mats, Finnegan, went back to Detroit. The Reds re-signed Emilio Pagan, who was solid for them. The Cubs grabbed, Bobby Milner, who was a lefty along with the Mattoe, the Pirates, got the lefty Gregory Soto, Stephen Mats, went to Tampa Bay.

Starting point is 00:14:56 But there are still some good options out there. My personal favorite, and I continue to wonder if this is the guy the Cardinals will target, just because it feels like a very Cardinal move, is St. Louis native Danny Coulomb. The St. Louis connection obviously does not hurt. That is very cool if they were to get him. Coloma is 36 years old. All right.

Starting point is 00:15:21 So season veteran matches that. Since 2022, he has averaged almost 68 appearances per season with a 2.38 ERA and an ERA plus of 171. I don't know what's not to like about that. Things didn't go as smoothly in Texas at the end of last year after his trade from the Minnesota twins. But I mean, does that not screen a St. Louis Cardo type of guy right there from the air. area left-hander, 36 years old, obviously is somebody that has a spot in the major leagues that deserves to be pitching somewhere. Maybe he hasn't gotten the deal he wants and, you know, would like to pitch in his home state of Missouri and for St. Louis. I don't know,

Starting point is 00:16:04 but it sounds like a cardinal move for sure. So Danny Coulomb, put him on the list. He's somebody I'm interested in. Sean Newcomb is another lefty that was good last year with the A's and Red Sox. He's in his early 30s, but still very good. It might be priced out of the Cardinals range. Drew Pomeranz, there's a season veteran for you. Excellent last year with the Cubs. Cardinals saw him five different times last year while he was with Chicago. Dealt with those injuries and bouncing around teams between 2022 and last season.

Starting point is 00:16:34 Was very good with the Padres before the injury started. Comes back last year, finally to the major leagues. Excellent season. Andrew Chaffin, strong season with Washington. and the Angels mid-30s, ERA plus 177, screams Cardinals to me. So those are a couple of the names that personally I think they should be interested in from the left side. Still a good number of varieties out there. Kenley Janssen, Luke Weaver, Pete Fairbanks, Kirby 8s, Brad Keller, Sir Anthony Dominguez, Tyler and Taylor Rogers.

Starting point is 00:17:06 Bring them both. I don't know if the twins have ever played on the same team at the same time. I don't remember. I think they did that in the Giants. Did they do that in San Francisco, I think? But they're twins. Sure, bring them both then. Those guys are still there.

Starting point is 00:17:17 The Cardinals have already grabbed a couple of righties for depth. Matt Pushard in the Rule 5 draft from Miami. Zach Kent from waivers from Cleveland. Scott Blewett, he's here on a minor league deal now. It doesn't mean they can't add to the right side, but they've got a nice stable of right-handed believers already. I think the left-hand side is the one that they really need to focus on. And I think that'll get some attention a little bit later on,

Starting point is 00:17:40 especially if Jojo is gone. They end up trading Jojo Romero. again, you don't have anybody else. There are no lefties left. You are just chalk out of left-handers that have any major league experience, really. Nick Rickett, you can, I mean, come on, you can do better than that, right? So that's just where I think their focus will be. Any other names you guys can think of that the team might be interested or should be interested that I'm forgetting, let me know. A lot of the real expensive guys are already off the market. So we're starting to get down into the Cardinal shopping level. So maybe we'll see something happen sooner rather than later. But let me know in the comments who you think that they should bring in and put the birds on the bat on their chest. Up next to the Cardinals screw up Yvonne Herrera's catching development. Interesting thoughts from High and Bloom on that situation. This is locked on Cardinals.

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Starting point is 00:20:05 favorite show, add free and exclusive access to the members only Discord channel. So Everydayers know that I'm a big fan of Yvonne Herrera, specifically his bat and his pants because, I don't know, that sounds really weird. But I bought a pair of of his game issued, not used, but game issued pants online as part of the collection of memorabilia that I got. That's how much I believe in I Von Herrera. I saw him at a cheap price. They were only like 40 bucks. And I was like, I feel like I got to pull the trigger. Went out with some beers with the friends. And I was like, should I buy these? You guys think so. And overwhelming, yes, buy that man's pants. So that's why I have a pair of Yvonne Herrera's pants.

Starting point is 00:20:46 But tremendous hitter for this team for years to come is what I think he can be. The deep hasn't quite seen major league worthy behind the plate in the short time that he's been up with the team. And maybe it's not his fault. Maybe it's not so much that Yvonne isn't that good behind the plate. It's that the Cardinals were really, really bad at teaching him. Hyam Bloom was speaking with the media at the winter meetings and said this about Herrera's development in the Cardinal system. I don't think when you look at the entirety of his career, I'm not sure he was ever really set up for success at that position because of a number of factors. And that's not a negative or taking shots at anybody. Some of it's just about the state of the

Starting point is 00:21:25 organization. What else is available at the position internally where you might not get that fair shot? And yet you're being asked to perform in the big league. So you're not in a pure teaching environment. Now he says that was, you know, not a shot at anybody. And he's not being, you know, personally saying, you know, this is the guy that screwed this up. And this is why Yvonne Herrera did not become as good as he needed to be behind the plate. But obviously that falls on the shoulders of former president of baseball operations John Moseilock. And it's well known. The Cardinals didn't have nearly enough instructors and enough funds going towards the minor league level the last few years to help develop their talent. And one of their glaring

Starting point is 00:22:11 spots was catcher where they didn't have anyone specifically teaching catchers. They just didn't have catching instructors. They just didn't do it. Clearly things have changed. You know, the last couple of years, there's been significant improvement in trying to make things better at the minor league level and in their player development, part of Hime coming in and evaluating things. And I'm sure one of the many spots he brought up was like, why the hell don't you have people teaching your catchers or other things in the minors? Like, you guys need this attention to detail. And you say it out loud, it seems preposterous to think about that they didn't think it was necessary to have such things. And maybe they did. Maybe they did. They just didn't want to pay for it.

Starting point is 00:22:56 Now, any of the minor leaguers that I've talked to in the last couple seasons since these changes have been happening, and when I bring up, you know, what are the, what are some of the noticeable differences that you've seen since, you know, coming into the Cardinals organization? And more times than not, it's about, the, they have more instructors. They're just more people helping them. Now, more attention, more help to make them better players so that they can reach their ultimate goal, that they can have a better chance of success and get them to the major leagues.

Starting point is 00:23:29 But it's just more information about how crappy things were in the Cardinals minor league system and how the Cardinals were cutting so many corners for whatever reason, whether it was just money and they didn't want to pay for it, that they were putting funds into different spots and they didn't have the budget for this. or they were just dumb and didn't think they needed these extra guys, which if that's the case, then shame on you. Does this also maybe shed some light on why guys like Dylan Carlson and Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, guys with big futures that, you know,

Starting point is 00:24:01 the national media like MLB pipeline and stuff felt were like, these are like really good prospects and they should flourish and become superstars for the Cardinals and have never lived up to it. Jordan Walker and Gorman still have time. Carlson, his time has passed. I honestly, I don't know where Dylan Carlson is right now. Is he a free agent? Is he in somebody's minor league? He would Baltimore. I don't

Starting point is 00:24:21 know. He, but it just never, it never got there. He came up to the pros, had the one solid year, injuries, and then fell apart. Jordan Walker comes up. Solid beginning. Has dealt with some injuries now. We hope

Starting point is 00:24:37 that we can adjust his path a little bit. Same with Nolan Gorman. Nolan came up, big season. big season, things have gone the wrong way ever since. I hope they could turn it around for these guys. I really do. But one thing is for certain, the organization's not doing this anymore. They aren't doing that anymore where they're just ignoring the amount of attention

Starting point is 00:25:01 that these guys need. And that's a good thing. It can only be a good thing for this organization moving forward. Herrera is going to get a chance to catch again this year. You know, obviously he had surgery this year. So they got to, you know, make sure he's. He's cool and back to, you know, can't catch if you can't throw the ball. So we got to make sure he's cool there first.

Starting point is 00:25:19 Maybe it works out. Maybe it doesn't. But we know the dude can hit, so they're going to find a spot for him. But what's nice is that the young catchers in this organization that are supremely talented already and have been recognized for it, the Raniao Rodriguez, Leonardo Bernal, people have been recognized nationally that these guys look like they can be studs. They are getting this attention now, which is great. The attention can only help them.

Starting point is 00:25:43 get to the big leagues faster and hopefully they'll be better prepared for it when they get to St. Louis. So thoughts and comments on that. Let me know down below. Thanks for making Locktown Cardinals for first listen every day. If you haven't already, give us a follow on accident L.O underscore Cardinals at a JD Sports Radio. TikTok, Instagram, and Lockdown Cardinals. Like, subscribe on YouTube, help our channel and love for the Cardinals grow. Now, for those of you who are on the video side of things, we are going to send you to the first ever 24-7 National Lockdown Podcast Network YouTube channel. If you're on audio, make sure you make your second listen locked on MLB. You're the best fans in baseball for a reason. We'll see you next time on lockdown Cardinals. Have a great weekend.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - RUMOR MILL: St. Louis Cardinals’ Willson Contreras Emerges as HOT Trade Target For The Red Sox!

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