Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals have a Willson Contreras problem. Now, they are tasked with figuring out if he’s their long-term answer at catcher.
The St. Louis Cardinals‘ decision to remove Willson Contreras as the team’s catcher only 32 games after signing him to a five-year, $87.5 million contract was flat-out stunning. And it makes their decision to sign the longtime catcher look even worse.
In the days leading up to the 2022 trade deadline, interest in Contreras was tepid. Teams had concerns about Contreras pertaining to his defense, among other things, and while the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros were among the teams to check in, neither was willing to part with much to acquire an All-Star caliber catcher.
So the Chicago Cubs elected to keep him and net a draft pick when he departed in free agency.
Cardinals ignored warning signs with Willson Contreras
Despite these warning signs, the Cardinals identified Contreras as their top target in free agency. They sat down with him for a few hours in Florida and were convinced he was the right player to replace future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina.
While the Cardinals have not ruled out Contreras being their long-term catcher, his demotion to designated hitter this early into the season underscores the team made a miscalculation — and it’s paying the price with an 11-24 start.
Here are three potential replacements for Contreras behind the plate in St. Louis.