Inside The Cubs

Former Cubs Catcher Contreras Was Benched by Cardinals for Unbelievable Reason

Former Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was benched by the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this year for an unbelievable reason.

Kade Kistner

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The Chicago Cubs dodged a bullet when they decided not to re-sign catcher Willson Contreras this past offseason.

Much of the fanbase was furious that the front office wouldn't dish out enough money to keep Contreras from signing with their archrivals the St. Louis Cardinals. 

In hindsight, it looked like a brilliant move for Chicago after Contreras has proved this season he isn't the replacement for Yadier Molina that the Cardinals thought he would be.

Instead, Contreras has been a downright disaster for St. Louis. He was benched from catching duties earlier in the season, making him as $85 million designated hitter. 

But the reason why he was benched has now come to light thanks to Michael Kay of YES and ESPN.

“I found out something, I was talking to a lot of the Cardinal people," said Kay. "The reason that they took Contreras out from behind the plate, he was calling pitches that the pitcher on the mound didn’t have… He would be calling for a cutter, for a pitcher that didn’t throw a cutter. The pitchers were going crazy.” 

Just incredible. This is from a catcher who routinely would not put the level of effort in that was needed from him. Cubs fans know this all too well. It's a massive reason why Chicago made almost no effort to retain his services. 

This is a real catcher in the real MLB calling pitches for pitchers on his own staff that they don't possess.

It appears that the "Cardinal way" is paying off for him and the club down in St. Louis. 

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Cubs. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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