SAN DIEGO — What better way to get to know the Cardinals’ first new everyday catcher in nearly 20 years than to ask the person he once shared a position with, long shared a dugout beside, and now has to face Willson Contreras as a division rival.
“Ultra-competitor who cares about the team, fights for the team, and isn’t going to pass up a chance to do all he can for his team,” Cubs manager and former catcher David Ross said Wednesday outside a meeting for all major-league managers.
“He’s got the winning bug.”
Hours before he left San Diego and Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, Cardinals exec John Mozeliak accomplished what he and his front office came to California to do: acquire their next catcher, the backstop who will follow Yadier Molina.