The St. Louis Cardinals made a puzzling decision on Saturday, announcing that catcher Willson Contreras will either DH or play a corner outfield spot moving forward instead of being behind the dish. They ultimately called up Tres Barrera to split the catching duties with Andrew Knizner.
Needless to say, Cardinals fans and baseball fans as a whole are downright confused by the decision and didn’t hold back when it came to their thoughts. Remember, Contreras signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal last December to be Yadier Molina’s replacement, yet skipper Oli Marmol is making him play another position now. Ridiculous.
Willson Contreras in the outfield https://t.co/Vim2PjnLJ3 pic.twitter.com/3t11YZMbvl
— Stew (@StewStilez) May 6, 2023
The Cardinals are basically blaming Willson Contreras for their pitching struggles when really they just suck. #STLCards
— Cardinal fan (@Cardinallfan) May 6, 2023
THE CARDINALS – Have terrible starting pitching, despite their six starters. Nobody’s playing to ability. Team suffering through a symphony of chaos.
ALSO THE CARDINALS – “It’s all Willson Contreras’s fault!” https://t.co/iIp14jZxQH
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) May 6, 2023
Willson Contreras in the OUTFIELD??
You have got to be kidding me
— Ryan (@The_Ryan_Shull) May 6, 2023
The Cardinals own a putrid 4.71 ERA as a team, yet it’s like St. Louis believes it’s Contreras’s fault. Sure, he’s not a fantastic catcher, but this staff is underwhelming as can be. Their rotation also has an ERA over five. Is making a change behind the dish going to suddenly bring out the best in these arms? Doubtful. Contreras is a seasoned veteran who is used to calling games.
Also, the Venezuelan has little experience in the outfield and their depth chart is already jam-packed, especially once Tyler O’Neill returns from injury, too. The Cardinals are basically in shambles right now and can’t find any consistency.
For what it’s worth, Contreras is one of their best hitters so far, slashing .280 in 31 games. Although he’s only slugged two home runs, the 30-year-old is swinging it well overall. We’ll see how this position change affects his attitude moving forward. Also, it could force the Cardinals to move one of their outfielders at the trade deadline.
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