Former Chicago Cubs Star Could Shockingly Be Traded by Cardinals at Deadline
The sad, yet highly entertaining saga of former Chicago Cubs and now current St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras continues.
After being pulled from catching duties earlier this season by the Cardinals, for not knowing his own pitchers' repertoire no less, St. Louis could look to move Contreras at this season's MLB trade deadline.
According to USA Today, Contreras is one of a number of players that could be on the trade block as the Cardinals look to revamp and refine who they are as a team.
"The Cardinals have the greatest array of talent available with outfielders Carlson and O’Neill, infielders Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong, and catcher Willson Contreras on the block too," writes Bob Nightengale.
Contreras was not re-signed by Chicago during this past offseason and it looks to be a bullet dodged. The catcher's inaugural season with Cardinals has not gone as planned.
A self-proclaimed replacement for the legendary Yadier Molina, Contreras has not found his fit with Cardinals and is instead seen less of a catcher, much less one comparable to Molina, and more of just a designated hitter.
The other factor holding back teams from acquiring Contreras is his five-year, $87.5MM. That is a lot to pay for a player who has poor catching skills and even more for a designated hitter-type slashing .244/.339/.428.
Either way, it looks like a nightmare pairing between the Cardinals and Contreras. Chalk this up as one more mind-blowing misstep in this incredibly fascinating situation in this new relationship between the former Cub and their archrival.
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