Cardinals Star Undergoing Surprising Position Change Amid Total Dysfunction

The Cardinals are making a massive change to the roster

Scott Neville | May 6, 2023

Cardinals Star Undergoing Surprising Position Change Amid Total Dysfunction /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are moving one of their star players amid a massive shakeup.

The Cardinals are starting to think outside the box after a 10-24 start but all changes are not created equal and their newest adjustment could be costly. That said, how much worse could it get?

"The Cardinals aren’t just considering using Willson Contreras in the outfield. They will be," The Athletic's Katie Woo tweeted Sunday. "Contreras won’t catch much over the next couple of weeks. He’ll be used primarily as a designated hitter and corner outfielder."

Contreras signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal to replace Yadier Molina as the Cardinals' new starting catcher over the winter. With 34 games under his belt, the front office and management decided to make a shift.

St. Louis called up catcher Tres Barrera to aid the transition with fellow backstop Andrew Knizner already on the roster.

Contreras has 35 big-league appearances in the outfield and likely will spend most of his time either in left field or as the designated hitter -- at least for the time being.

St. Louis has not publically laid out the long-term plan for this move but it could get dicey in the near future.

The Cardinals already have somewhat of a logjam in the outfield with Lars Nootbaar, Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson and utility man Juan Yepez on the active roster. They also have Tyler O'Neill on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain and top prospect Jordan Walker waiting in the wings.

Contreras would add some much-needed offense to left field but he would be viewed as less valuable overall. The big appeal for the 30-year-old is how well he can hit for a catcher. He's still an above-average slugger but it's not as hard to find his offensive production at other positions.

Ideally, this move will be short-term and a blip on the radar as St. Louis attempts to claw back into contention.

If the move is anything more than consider me lost.

More MLB: Cardinals Fan-Favorite Slugger Could Be Traded According To Recent Speculation

Published May 6, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu