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“I’m going to stay here. I’m not going nowhere,� Contreras said on Tuesday while standing in front of his locker inside the Cardinals clubhouse.

Contreras, who signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Cardinals ahead of the 2023 season, has a no-trade clause in his contract and made his intentions clear over the winter that he preferred to remain with the Cardinals despite the club’s intentions to go through a “reset� amid a transition in the front office.

A conversation earlier this week with Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak allowed him to express his desires had not changed.

“I’m good here. I already talked to (Mozeliak) earlier this week, and everything is still the same,� Contreras said. “Like I said, it’s a business, and he doesn’t seem like he wants to trade me. He said no. I said no. We’re good.�

The three-time All-Star and World Series winner in 2016 during his time with the Cubs, the latter being a factor in his comfort to remain a Cardinal during the club’s transition, said he wants “to do my best here� and feels he hasn’t “done enough for me to leave the city, yet.�

He entered this season a full-time first baseman after nine seasons as primarily as a catcher, a move that cleared catching opportunities to be shared by youngsters Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages, and has been a veteran leader in the Cardinals’ clubhouse.

“He’s passionate about being in St. Louis and being a part of what we’re doing,� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Contreras. “He likes what’s going on and where we’re headed and wants to make sure that he can continue to be himself and bring value to this whole thing, which I’m super appreciative of, because I like having him around. I love that guy.�

Contreras’ comments on remaining a Cardinal came as his team entered Tuesday 3.5 games behind the Padres for the third NL Wild Card spot and with his club nearing a trade deadline where they could be active in dealing relievers. Closer Ryan Helsley, setup man Phil Maton, and lefty Steven Matz are all on expiring contracts and are arms that could draw interest from other contending teams.

When he met with reporters on Tuesday, Contreras said it would be “really hard to ignore the noise of the trade deadline,� which he once went through before as a candidate to be moved in 2022 while with the Cubs.

As this year’s deadline nears, he’ll look try to silence what goes on around him.

“We’ll see what’s going to happen until the last day, but as of right now, I’m not thinking of any of that,� Contreras said.

Remembering baseball great Sandberg

For Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown, the time as a teammate of late Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg brings back more than the memories of the bond he shared with one of Sandberg’s kids and the impact a foul ball that clipped Sandberg’s ear had, but also of the 10-time All-Star second baseman’s personality.

“He loved to joke around. He was a prankster, believe it or not, because he was so serious on the field, no emotion, just a steady Eddie,� Brown said on Tuesday to Post-Dispatch columnist Benjamin Hochman.

Sandberg, a Hall of Fame inductee in 2005, died on Monday at the age of 65.

It was announced in January 2024 that Sandberg had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. He said in August 2024 he was cancer-free but revealed in December the cancer had returned and had spread to other organs.

The multi-time All-Star won nine Gold Gloves, seven Silver Slugger awards, and was the National League’s MVP in 1984.

A teammate of Sandberg’s in 1996 and in 1997, Brown recalled fouling a slider off from Tom Glavine during a game at Wrigley Field in 1997 that went into the Cubs’ dugout and through the “half-net part that wasn’t covered.� Brown’s foul ball caught Sandberg’s ear and cut it, leading to a changed field setup the next day with extended netting.

“Those are my fondest memories, just all the fun times and the memories that I had when I played with him (Sandberg),� Brown told Hochman. “I couldn’t be more fortunate to have played with him. All of my condolences to his family.�

Extra bases

Brendan Donovan’s absence from Tuesday’s starting lineup against the Marlins was a scheduled day off for the All-Star second baseman, Marmol said.

• After serving as designated hitter for Class AA Springfield (Missouri) on Tuesday to begin his rehab assignment, Nolan Gorman (lower back pain) is expected to make a rehab start at second base for Springfield on Wednesday.
• Lars Nootbaar (left costochondral sprain) went through pregame workouts with the Cardinals on Tuesday before heading to Springfield, Missouri, to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday with the Cardinals’ Class AA affiliate.