Boom or Bust: 3 St. Louis Cardinals decisions that will define their 2023 season
By Kevin Henry
After a disappointing exit from the postseason in 2022, have the St. Louis Cardinals done enough this offseason to go deeper into the playoffs in 2023?
It’s no secret that St. Louis Cardinals fans have shown their frustration at times this offseason as other teams in the National League (including the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that knocked them out of the postseason in 2022 on their way to the NL title) have spent in big ways to improve their roster.
However, it’s also no secret that the Cardinals enter 2023 with a talent-rich lineup, including reigning MVP Paul Goldschmidt and 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado, as well as their biggest acquisition of the offseason, former Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras.
So … did St. Louis do enough? Let’s look at three decisions made this offseason that will make the upcoming season a boom or a bust in the eyes of Cardinals fans.
Boom or bust decision 1: Willson Contreras as the big move for the St. Louis Cardinals
It’s not that signing Contreras was a bad move at all, especially when it weakens your arch-rival in the division. And it’s not that bringing in Contreras (who posted 3.9 bWAR last season) won’t improve St. Louis behind the plate (St. Louis, as a team, posted minus-1.4 bWAR at catcher last year).
It’s a simple question of will Contreras really provide the missing piece to getting St. Louis back to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2013? Cardinals executives certainly seem to think so, focusing their efforts on landing the 30-year-old backstop and seemingly calling the lineup ready for Opening Day.
In a vacuum, signing Contreras was a solid move on a number of levels. There will, however, be plenty of pressure on him to perform at a high level and take on the role that was Yadier Molina’s for years. As Contreras wrote when he explained his decision to join the Cardinals, “It’s just all about winning.” In St. Louis, nothing less is considered a success, meaning the five-year contract he signed this offseason will be expected to have some immediate returns attached to it.