ST. LOUIS -- While Willson Contreras will forever be known as a World Series champion for his time on the North Side of Chicago, it’s common knowledge in St. Louis that his respect and adoration for Cardinals great Yadier Molina ultimately warmed the then-Cub to the idea of changing sides in the I-55 rivalry ahead of his free agency in 2022.
Contreras, beloved during his time in St. Louis for his passionate playing style and fiery personality, famously had those attributes on display when he returned to Wrigley Field with the Cardinals in May 2023, reveling in the boos he received while helping power the Cardinals to a win.
“That was a little different than now,” Contreras said with a laugh from inside the visitors dugout before the Cardinals' 3-2 win at Busch Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The Cardinals host the Red Sox this weekend for a three-game set, marking another reunion for Contreras as he returns to the place he called home for the previous three seasons.
As the Cardinals embarked upon a winter in which new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom approached roster moves with a greater priority on long-range plans than in maximizing short-term success, Contreras ultimately agreed to waive his no-trade clause to leave St. Louis and go to Boston -- but not before doing some research.
When Bloom called Contreras during the winter to tell him that a trade was in the works with the Red Sox, the former Cardinals slugger said Friday that he did his homework on whether waiving his no-trade clause for the deal would be the right fit.
“I took my time to look at the Minor League system,” Contreras said. “I took my time to look at the roster that they had already -- and I liked it. … I think it worked out the best for both sides, and it’s showing.”
Contreras enjoyed being a Cardinal, but eventually came to understand the team’s plans to trade away veteran pieces as simply business. There doesn’t seem to be a shred of ill will or bad blood regarding his departure from the Cardinals, making this weekend’s homecoming a positive experience for the 33-year-old.
Even Contreras’ Red Sox teammates commemorated the significance of the day for Contreras, wearing T-shirts with Contreras’ No. 40 on the back during Friday’s batting practice.
On the front of the shirts was a depiction of the Mario Bros. character Bowser in a Red Sox No. 40 uniform. Evidently not a big video gamer, Contreras said his Red Sox teammates had to explain the reference to him after Trevor Story began referring to him as "Bowser" during Spring Training. But Contreras recalled that it might have been Pedro Pagés who started the nickname during his time in St. Louis.
Contreras shouted out a number of his former teammates, including Pagés, Masyn Winn and others. He was a popular figure with many of those former teammates during batting practice, and he shared a warm embrace with Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.
Marmol told reporters before Friday’s game that the experience of building a relationship with someone like Contreras changes the way you view the player when you look across the field to see them in the other dugout thereafter.
“After having someone like him, it’s different, because you understand how much he puts into it and how much he cares,” Marmol said. “I didn’t like seeing him across the way when he was with Chicago. It’s very different watching him across the way here -- I care for the dude.”
For Contreras, it was obvious on Friday afternoon that the feeling is mutual.
“It’s good to come to a ballpark where you created a lot of good relationships,” Contreras said. “I’m not sure if [he’s] going to hate me or not, but I don’t think that’s going to happen, because I love him, and we love each other. That’s the best [way] I can put it.
“I think I left a whole group of friends on the other side.”