Former Cardinals star could help offset loss of Willson Contreras

The St. Louis Cardinals are in trouble after Willson Contreras left Tuesday night's game against the New York Mets with a left arm fracture. The veteran catcher was hit by J.D. Martinez's back swing in the top of the second inning and immediately fell to the ground in pain.

On Wednesday, St. Louis placed their slugger on the 10-Day Injured List and recalled catcher Pedro Pages from Triple-A Memphis.

Contreras has been one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals, who are struggling offensively and have fallen to six games below the .500 mark. The Cardinals may need to go outside the organization to find a replacement for him offensively.

Unfortunately, there aren't many guys available, especially this early in the game. But if they want a quick fix, they could give the Chicago White Sox a call and reunite with an old friend, outfielder Tommy Pham.

St. Louis Cardinals could reunite with old friend to replace Willson Contreras

Pham signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox back in April and quickly found himself back in the majors. The 36-year-old is hitting .282 with two home runs, five RBI, and an OPS of .804.

Granted, the Cardinals have a lot of outfielders in their system, and Pham might just add to the logjam. However, the Cardinals need offense, and he may be their best option as of now. The team desperately needs to add another bat in order to replace Contreras and have any hope of improving offensively.

Pham spent the first five seasons of his career in St. Louis before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. He also has made brief stops with the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Arizona Diamondbacks. The veteran outfielder played a key role in Arizona reaching the World Series last October.

During his time in St. Louis, Pham posted a .271 batting average, hit 51 home runs, and had an OPS of .828. His best season with the Cardinals came in 2017 when he hit .306 with 23 home runs and had an OPS of .931.

Tommy Pham acquisition would benefit Cardinals beyond Willson Contreras injury timeline

Pham also brings competitive fire and veteran leadership to a team that leans heavily on their voices in the clubhouse such as Matt Carpenter, Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson.

After their loss on Tuesday night to the Mets, the Cardinals own a record of 15-21 and sit 6.5 games back of first place in the NL Central. They also are once again in last place in the division. But they are only 3.5 games back in the Wild Card race, so their chances of getting back into contention are still very much alive this early in the season.

Pham obviously isn't going to produce on the same level as Contreras, but the Cardinals are desperate and he does bring power from the right side of the plate, as well as the ability to play all three outfield positions.

This in turn could allow the Cardinals to shift Brendan Donovan to first base and sit Paul Goldschmidt for a couple of days while he figures things out at the plate. Goldschmidt has been one of the main culprits this season as the Cardinals' offensive struggles continue.

Depending on how long Contreras is out, the Cardinals may have to do something at the trade deadline and add a bat to the mix if they want to overcome the early hole they've dug themselves. Contreras is expected to be out 6-8 weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured arm.

If he takes the entire eight weeks, he'll likely return in early July, but the Cardinals can't wait to find a solution to their slumping offense. This is where Pham could come in handy for St. Louis.

He's somebody who is familiar with the organization and the city and someone who could give them a major boost in morale as they navigate these rough waters.