When catcher Willson Contreras signed with the Cardinals, he needed to find a way to be loved by the fanbase. It’s not often a star player defects to his rival team, but Contreas had the chance to earn $87.5 million from a team that was, at the time, more competitive.
It didn’t take long before he started talking badly about his former team, hoping to win Cardinals fans over.
“For me, I like this better,” Contreras said in early 2023. “It’s a better organization. Old school way, which I love it. … Ever since I got here it’s been everything just one way.