Over the past several years, fans of the Brewers have been all too familiar with the last name Contreras. Willson Contreras was previously a long term member of the Chicago Cubs but then earlier this off-season he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. In December, the Brewers added a Contreras of their own as William Contreras joined the team courtesy of a three way trade that also yielded them pitchers Justin Yeager and Joel Payamps. The Contreras brothers are now set to square off against one another in 2023 as they will be competing within the same division.
There is a five year age difference between Willson and William Contreras. Willson made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Cubs and William debuted with the Braves in 2021. Interestingly, both of those teams went onto win the World Series the same year that each Contreras debuted.
In a recent interview, Willson Contreras revealed that it was always a dream for both him and William to be big leaguers. He also provided some insight as to how the trade impacted William and how competitive they are going to be against one another next year.
Here is what Willson Contreras had to say about how his brother was handing the trade with the Brewers and his thoughts looking ahead to playing against him in 2023.
“He’s really still swallowing the trade. It was really impactful for him. And I am really happy for him because I know that he’s going to have the chance to be himself in Milwaukee. And we’re already talking about some situations there. But it’s going to be fun to play against my brother more than I did last year. And I’m looking forward just to beat him. Because I know he wants to beat me, but I want to beat him. Because even though we’re brothers, it’s part of the game.”
Shortly after trade details surrounding William Contreras to the Brewers were confirmed, he had a heartfelt post to Braves fans and the organization on twitter. It’s clear that the trade took him by surprise. However, he now will have an opportunity to be the everyday catcher Milwaukee while getting to compete for the division crown against his brother.
With the new balanced schedule, the Brewers and Cardinals will play 13 games against one another during the 2023 regular season. Six of those games will be played in Milwaukee and seven in St. Louis. If both teams make the play offs, there could be an opportunity for more games against one another.
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