St. Louis Cardinals may have signed Willson Contreras to be the heir apparent to Yadier Molina behind the dish, but it appears the organization has another role in mind for him moving forward.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak was one of the executives who met with the media at the MLB general managers meetings on Wednesday. Contrera’s future was one of the topics of discussion, and Mozeliak made a shocking statement about what the club plans to do with the 32-year-old catcher in 2025.
Contreras is set to step into a first base and designated hitter role, and it’s unlikely he’ll make it at all next season. According to Mozeliak, both Contreras and the Cardinals front office decided it would be the best move to preserve the veteran’s health and extend his career.
With Conteras vacating his spot on the depth chart, that leaves Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés as the St. Louis catchers headed for next year. Contreras taking over at first also puts another nail in the coffin for the Paul Goldschmidt era, which spanned six seasons.
The #STLCards moves Willson Contreras to a 1B/DH role next year, says John Mozeliak. Both parties decided it would be best for his health/career longevity. Mo says it’s “unlikely” that Contreras will catch at all next year. Iván Herrera/Pedro Pagés are in line until half-time.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) November 6, 2024
Contreras suffered a fractured left forearm in May, sending him to the injured list for seven weeks. He was sidelined again when he broke the middle finger on his right hand in August, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
As a result, Contreras only saw action in 84 games in 2024. While in the lineup, Contreras hit .262 with an .848 OPS, and he was on pace for 22 home runs, 54 RBI, six stolen bases and 4.4 WAR in 125 appearances matches.
It’s not like Contreras is a bad defensive catcher either. He has never posted a negative defensive WAR in his career, and he even managed to avoid negative defensive runs saved in 2024 despite his age and injuries.
Contreras hasn’t played first base since 2019. He’s made just 11 appearances at the position in his big league career.
The Cardinals inked Contreras to a five-year, $87.5 million contract ahead of the 2023 campaign, poaching the longtime Chicago Cubs backstop right after Molina retired. Molina had made 2,184 appearances at catcher over the previous 19 seasons, building a potential Hall of Fame-worthy resume in the process.
Contreras can still contribute with his bat, but he won’t be able to succeed Molina the way St. Louis at first hoped.
Pagés proved capable behind the plate in 2024, posting a 0.9 defensive WAR and three defensive runs saved as a rookie. Herrera, on the other hand, had a -0.3 defensive WAR and -7 defensive runs saved.
Herrera, 24, hit .301 with an .800 OPS and 1.7 WAR over 72 games this year. Pagés hit .238 with a .657 OPS and 0.8 WAR in 68 games.
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