(670 The Score) Former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is playing on the other side of the rivalry with the Cardinals now after signing a five-year deal with St. Louis this offseason.
Contreras seems plenty comfortable as he settles in with the Cardinals – and he also isn’t holding back in addressing his former team. Asked by Bally Sports Midwest – the Cardinals’ television partner – how he would compare his new team to the Cubs, Contreras offered a sharp response.
“For me, I like this better,” Contreras said. “It’s a better organization. We (have) an old-school way, which I love it. That’s something that I really like.
“Ever since I got here, it’s been everything one way, the Cardinal way, and I have to adjust to it. It’s not that hard. Do everything right and respect each other. That’s it.”
The 30-year-old Contreras played with the Cubs from 2016 through last season, and he was part of the team’s World Series championship team and also a three-time All-Star. Contreras signed a five-year, $87.5-million deal with the Cardinals in December as the Cubs allowed him to hit the open market.
Contreras expressed his desire on multiple occasions in 2022 to remain with the Cubs. Manager David Ross and the team’s coaching staff were occasionally frustrated with Contreras’ approach and preparation, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported recently.
Ross rejected that notion on Friday during an interview with the Mully & Haugh Show.
“I didn’t see any facts in there that Ken wrote,” Ross said. “And I respect Ken’s ability and what he’s done in this game. But I love Willson. I don’t have any bad things to say about Willson. As a former catcher, I would give real pause to anybody questioning game-calling and preparation. Unless you’ve caught, you should never be commenting on those things. I think Willson is a championship-caliber catcher. That’s why he got such a big contract. I think the industry showed you what kind of worth he has. He's a brother for life for me, World Series brother. I don’t have any negative things to say about Willson.
“That guy went out every single day and played hard, played for this organization extremely hard, was part of a lot of winning here. Without bashing anybody that writes stuff, I didn’t see anything in that article that would give any credibility to that anonymous stuff and no factual stuff. Willson is a really good player, what, a three-time All-Star? There’s only a couple of those in Chicago Cubs history. I think the frustration on my end always comes with losing and trying to find ways to do that. That's probably all I'll have to say about that.”
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