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Report: Cardinals, Contreras agree to 5-year, $87.5M deal

Matt Dirksen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The St. Louis Cardinals and All-Star catcher Willson Contreras agreed to a five-year, $87.5-million contract, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Contreras will replace longtime Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina, who retired after the 2022 campaign following a stellar 19-year run in the majors.

The 30-year-old Contreras went deep 22 times with an .815 OPS over 113 games for division rivals the Chicago Cubs last season. He's spent his entire seven-year career with the Cubs and won a World Series title in 2016.

The Cubs will receive a compensatory draft pick since Contreras rejected their qualifying offer. Meanwhile, the Cardinals will forfeit their second-highest selection and have their international signing bonus pool reduced by $500,000.

Former Cardinals and Cubs pitcher Jon Lester apparently helped St. Louis decide to pursue Contreras:

The Houston Astros also reportedly made a strong push to sign Contreras.

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