Reports: Cardinals 'closing in' on deal with C Willson Contreras

The St. Louis Cardinals are "closing in" on an agreement with free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, The Athletic reported Wednesday. MLB Network reported the sides were working on a five-year contract. Should the deal come to fruition, Contreras would succeed longtime catcher Yadier Molina behind the plate for the Cardinals. Molina retired after this past season. Contreras, 30, declined the one-year qualifying offer of $19.65 million from the Chicago Cubs in October, making him a free agent. He reached the All-Star Game for the third time last season while batting .243 with 22 homers and 55 RBIs. Contreras also was a key player on the Cubs' World Series-winning club in 2016 as he hit .282 in his first major league season. Contreras has topped 20 homers four times in his seven big league seasons. He has a .256 average with 117 homers and 365 RBIs in 734 career games. --Field Level Media