*Photo from Redbird Rants*
Kolten Wong has a new home, and it's with a division rival. After spending his first 8 seasons with the St.Louis Cardinals, Wong has agreed to a two year, $18 million contract with the rival Milwaukee Brewers, first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. There is also a team option for the 2023 season worth $8 million. The Brewers have confirmed the deal.
Wong had a decent year in the short 2020 campaign, posting a batting average of .265 with a .675 OPS, hitting just one homer and driving in 16 runs in 53 games played for the Cardinals, who made the wild card round, but were then eliminated by the San Diego Padres. In Wong's 8 year career, he has a .261 average with a .717 OPS, hitting 53 homers and driving in 281 runs in 852 games played.
Wong talked about leaving the Cardinals in his press conference, saying that "It took me a little bit to get my head around the whole thing. Obviously being a Cardinal for as long as I've been, there's a lot of memories, there's a lot of good things I created there, but also seeing from across how the Brewers play, how they go about their business and the type of team this is, it just fits my mold really well. It's a grinding team, a team that just goes out there and competes every single day."
Wong's two career gold gloves should be a welcome addition to the Brewers infield, especially to infielder Orlando Arcia, who Wong said that he got in touch with almost immediately after signing with the Brewers, and wanted to help Arcia get his first gold glove.
Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said about Wong that "It really changes the composition defensively of our team, and that's something that we also think is important. I know a lot of attention has been, understandably, placed on the offensive side of the ball, but one constant around some of the better teams in baseball is really solid, consistent defense. When we've had our most successful seasons here, we've had very good defensive teams, and that's something that is a focus of ours."
Wong is the first major addition of the Brewers this offseason, as it's been a mostly quiet winter for them.
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