Rival Catcher Of The Brewers Explains Why He Signed With The Cardinals

The Milwaukee Brewers and Willson Contreras have a long standing rivalry.  Not only was he a former member of the Chicago Cubs, but there also is the fiasco surrounding all the hit by pitches.  Among Brewer fans, there was some optimism that after his contract ran its course with the Cubs that he would leave the NL Central.  That of course did not happen as he signed a 5 year deal with the Cardinals.  During his introductory press conference, he explained why he signed with the Red Birds.

Here are quotes from Contreras during his press conference in which he explained why he signed with the Cardinals.

Contreras indicates that he first thought about joining the Cardinals after Albert Pujols hit his 695th home run.

“I was just looking around.  Looking around the ballpark, looking around the fan base and the team, how the guys were playing against us.  And I said to myself, I want to be a part of something like that.  Of a team that’s always looking forward to winning.

With Yadier Molina retiring, Contreras will be his “replacement”.  When asked about that, he had the following response.

“I came here to be Wilson Contreras. And for me, it’s an honor to succeed a Hall of Famer behind the plate. It’s a big responsibility, which I take. And I know that every time that I step out on the field, I give my 100% to win the game.”

Lastly, he also had this to say about himself.

“When you play against me, you might get not the best perception of myself, because I play for you not like me,” Contreras admitted. “But when you’re on my team, I told these guys, you love me because I do everything that I can for my team. And we have to go out there and win the battle every single day.”

Contreras was the top free agent catcher on the market this offseason.  The Brewers are also in need of a catcher.  Christian Vasquez is an available free agent who is likely within their price range.

Other options include acquiring a catcher via trade.  However, trading for Sean Murphy of the Athletics or Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, or Gabriel Moreno of the Blue Jays will be costly.  Matt Arnold has indicated that he intends to remain active in this market.  All we can do for now is wait.

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