Willson Contreras is a Cardinal, and the Cubs let it occur

The St. Louis Cardinals discovered their alternative for now-retired catcher Yadier Molina, agreeing to phrases with Willson Contreras on a five-year, $87 million deal. After refusing to maneuver Contreras on the commerce deadline, or pay him, the final remaining place participant from the Chicago Cubs World Sequence workforce will now don the birds on bats and Cardinal purple.

The transfer is an enormous get for the Cardinals, who had been content material with Molina’s offense-behind-the-plate tradeoff, regardless of the workforce’s bats offering three runs in two postseason video games — each losses to Philadelphia. Albert Pujols’ swan music actually is what gained them the NL Central, they usually’ll have to interchange his manufacturing, as properly.

Contemplating Contreras’ greatest yr was barely higher than Pujols’ ultimate marketing campaign, one other bat — ideally a DH — would go a great distance. The farm system continues to place guys within the lineup who appear like potential all-stars, solely to hit nothing however a wall as soon as opposing pitching staffs get a scouting report.

That’s one other issue on this. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt have been far and away the workforce’s greatest place gamers since arriving in St. Louis, and it continues the development of the farm system failing to develop constant supporting gamers. Save for the pandemic season, some mixture of Arenado, Goldschmidt, or Marcel Ozuna have been the highest two on the workforce in RBI.

The failures of Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Paul DeJong, and others don’t give St. Louis followers lots of hope for Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman ever reaching their potential.

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Poor growth additionally could be why hitting coach Jeff Albert stepped down after the season. Nicely, that and Harrison Bader smacking a bajillion postseason dwelling runs after being traded to the Yankees, and Kolten Wong discovering some semblance of consistency in Milwaukee.

Contreras is a confirmed contributor who will come right into a clubhouse with strong management on the prime, and will have the ability to proceed his kind no matter hitting coach, as was the case for Arenado or Goldschmidt.

The truth that he comes over from the Cardinals’ most hated rival is simply an added bonus. In 95 profession video games in opposition to St. Louis, Contreras slashed .249/.368/.441, with 74 hits, 15 of them homers, and 47 RBI. These numbers aren’t mind-blowing, however each massive dwelling run looks like 5 in opposition to a loathsome rival.

I’d say it makes up for Jason Heyward leaping ship from St. Louis to Chicago in 2016, however Jason Heyward and his contract made up for Jason Heyward leaping ship. For the Cubs, $87 million doesn’t look like a lot, seeing as they only paid $68 million for Jameson Taillon, a backend beginning pitcher in an already crowded rotation.

Chicago did land Cody Bellinger on a one-year, free-demo deal, although, and is rumored to be medium-sized sport looking with sights set on Carlos Correa or Dansby Swanson. Who is aware of how the Contreras saga would’ve fallen if the Cubs moved him on the deadline, as rumor had it, however inaction and tight pockets from the entrance workplace led to this regrettable final result. They didn’t even appease the prospect perverts by transferring him for scraps.

Contreras may’ve nonetheless ended up within the shadow of the Arch by means of one other membership, and Chicago may’ve prevented culpability, but right here we’re.