Could Willson Contreras’ return give John Mozeliak a terrible trade deadline excuse?
By Lior Lampert
After stumbling out of the gates and falling as much as seven games below .500, the St. Louis Cardinals have seemingly righted the ship. Since then, they scratched and clawed their way to a 36-37 record.
As things stand on Wednesday, June 19, the Cardinals are in second place in the National League Central and hold the third and final Wild Card spot. Their momentum has changed the season's complexion and could potentially alter the club's plans leading up to this year's trade deadline on July 30.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently reported that the Cards "plan on buying at the deadline." Nonetheless, the team has reinforcements coming in the form of All-Star catcher Willson Contreras. Could that factor into St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak's decision-making process in the coming weeks? It feels like a low-hanging fruit ripe for the taking.
Could Willson Contreras’ return give John Mozeliak a terrible trade deadline excuse?
Recent buzz surrounding Contreras' looming return has been positive, which is a massive boost for the Cardinals. The stud backstop began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. Mozeliak went as far as saying he could be back by next week when providing an injury update.
Contreras has been out since May 7. He was removed from the game against the New York Mets that day with a fractured left forearm. He was on a tear before getting hurt, batting .280/.398/.551 with six home runs, 12 RBIs and two stolen bases across 128 plate appearances. So, his re-entering the lineup will undoubtedly provide a spark to the Cardinals. But as talented as he is, Mozeliak should remain aggressive and not let that influence St. Louis' trade activity (or lack thereof).
Mozeliak has no time to be complacent as someone whose job security is in jeopardy. Yes, Contreras will make a difference. However, if the former tries pulling the "we did add at the deadline" card with the latter, that would be a tough sell to fans.
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