"It was less than a year ago that the Cardinals made the decision to move three-time All-Star Willson Contreras to first base after the veteran slugger indicated he wasn't interested in waiving his no-trade clause to leave St. Louis ahead of their impending rebuild. That decision was intended to open up the catcher position so that younger players more tied to the future of the franchise, like Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages, could get reps at the position and prove themselves capable as regulars in the majors."
"Getting opportunities for those young players was a sensible goal, but it didn't come without risk. Replacing Paul Goldschmidt at first base would be a big ask for any player, and while Contreras has long been a talented hitter he's not always been able to produce enough offensively to justify a role as an everyday first baseman. Contreras also had just 11 appearances (three starts) on his resume at the position prior to 2025, the most recent of which had come all the way back in 2019, so learning a new position would place additional challenges on the veteran as he headed into his age-33 season."
The Cardinals shifted three-time All-Star Willson Contreras to first base to open the catcher role for prospects Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages to gain major-league reps. Contreras entered the transition with only 11 prior first-base appearances (three starts), the last in 2019, and faced the challenge of replacing Paul Goldschmidt while entering his age-33 season. Contreras began 2025 with a severe slump, posting a .145/.198/.237 line in his first 82 trips to the plate and drawing low external expectations. Contreras recovered during the season, finishing at .257/.344/.447 with a 124 wRC+, near his career mark.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]