Fansided

Cardinals pull another downright insane move with Willson Contreras

By Mark Powell

Willson Contreras #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on walking off the field at the end of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on April 26, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Willson Contreras #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on walking off the field at the end of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on April 26, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The St. Louis Cardinals are moving Willson Contreras back to catcher on a part-time basis, for some reason.

The Cards moved Willson Contreras to a full-time designated hitter role about a week ago. It seemed crazy at the time, especially since Oli Marmol and the front office were making Contreras, a free-agent acquisition, a scapegoat for their poor start.

Contreras is no Yadier Molina defensively, but the front office should have added some pitching depth this winter. Heck, they had the opportunity considering the pitching market. Instead, John Mozeliak and Co. sat on their hands, and it’s come back to bite them.

Why are the Cardinals moving Willson Contreras back to catcher?

FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray commented on the Contreras debacle earlier this week:

"“And 35 games into his first season in St. Louis, they benched him. They talked about playing him in the outfield and as a designated hitter. The next day, they said they no longer planned on playing him in the outfield. Starting pitchers Adam Wainwright and Jack Flaherty then met with Contreras in Chicago to deliver a message that he’s wanted and that they know “they have a catcher for five years.”"

As it turns out, the Cardinals finally listened to their players, and are moving Contreras back to catcher on a part-time basis.

“We felt really good about the progress that we’ve made and it lines up really well for him to catch on Monday with Jack (Flaherty) on the mound,” Marmol said. “This is what they wanted. They both wanted it & Willson wanted to be behind the plate on Monday. And we felt really good about lining it up that way with all the progress that we’ve made.”

Huh?

Had this been, say, a month or two later, it’s a move I could understand. However, even if it were a questionable decision to begin with, Marmol ought to stick to his guns. Is he admitting defeat? Someone explain this to us like we’re five.

Contreras is a middle-of-the-run catcher defensively. He’s not going to set the world on fire, or win a gold glove anytime soon. But the Cards should’ve known that when they signed him.

Instead, they made a mess out of it.

Next. MLB Rumors: Top trade targets for the Braves, Cardinals and Cubs. dark

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