How St. Louis Cardinals and Willson Contreras can work long-term

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Willson Contreras first year on the St. Louis Cardinals is on thin ice, but here is why the marriage can still work.

It seemed that the honeymoon phase between the two sides lasted about as long as the St. Louis Cardinals have held first place this season. It will take an honest look in the mirror on both sides to reconcile the differences that have certainly mounted. But I still believe there is hope both sides can find a way to make it work and I will shine light why they can make it happen.

I find it hard to believe, even as the reports have mounted, that Willson Contreras is already on the trade block in the midst of his first season of a five-year deal. It has been a rough season for the St. Louis Cardinals, but even for how bad it has been for him behind the plate, did it matter who was catching with how bad the pitching staff has been all season?

What happened earlier in the season in May was something that turned many heads (including my own) after his two-week benching from catching. Especially considering Willson Contreras turned down the World Baseball Classic for the opportunity to jump start his “learning my pitching staff.” His defense was easily my biggest concern for signing him back in the offseason when the rumors were swirling, but even I did not see it possibly being so bad a benching would be coming.

Whatever game preparations that were implemented in spring training when he was learning the so-called “Cardinals Way” did not stick. Actually, it makes you wonder what they worked on at all during that time. They must come to terms with a better understanding of what is needed in his preparation to better help the pitchers.

Jun 19, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks (12) is congratulated by catcher Willson Contreras (40) after earning a save against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Like all things within a good marriage, it first starts with communication.

There are two things that needs to happen.

First, the St. Louis Cardinals need to provide him a clear path of what they want from him as a player. Is he an everyday catcher? If so, they need to provide the tools for him to learn the expectations after a full season under his belt if they believe he can be that. Is he a platoon catcher, sort of like a David Ross was with only catching certain pitchers and playing DH at other points? Should he learn another position to open the door for other players at the catching position?

All of those questions need to be answered and should alleviate his confusion of what they want out of his skills. It starts with the St. Louis Cardinals looking internally about how he fits into their 2024 model.

From the perspective of Willson Contreras, he needs to take the time to soak in this season, rinse the bad off, and head down to Puerto Rico to work directly with Yadier Molina. Seriously, if he really wants to be Yadier Molina’s replacement, go learn from the source himself. Not just a long phone call as was reported back in May.

He needs to take time to dig into Yadier Molina’s mindset, preparation, and methodology. It may take a whole offseason to do it. I find it hard to believe the Yadier Molina would not take the time to help his former team.

Apr 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) before hitting against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

If Willson Contreras can keep hitting, he will always be playable.

For all the negative surrounding his 2023 season, his hitting has been about as good as advertised. Through his 345 plate appearances he already has 22 doubles and is only five shy of tying a career-high in a season. In 2018, he had 27 doubles in 544 plate appearances, so his pace is also significantly better.

His slash over the past couple years is nearly in line with his performance this season:

Year – OBP/SLG/wOBA

2023 – .339/.428/.336

2022 – .349/.466/.357

2021 – .340/.438/.337

Projecting him moving forward looks promising as it appears he is also hitting the ball harder than he ever has before. This season his average exit velocity on his balls has been 91.8 mph, tied for a career high that he hit in 2021. That cannot be a bad thing as earlier in his career he was always averaging below 90 mph.

He also has 27 barrels (95+ mph batted balls) in only 222 events. Last season, he had 33 barrels in 315 events and the year prior was 31 barrels in 279 events. Once again, right on par with his historical pace.

From a projectability standpoint, it is fairly easy to be confident in his ability to hit the ball. You know what you are going to get if you are the St. Louis Cardinals. To continue the process of reconciliation, he will need to make this a priority, so his bat has to be in the lineup.

JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Willson Contreras #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals in action against the Houston Astros during the third inning of the game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 06, 2023 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) /

Willson Contreras had the worst defensive stretch of his career, so it can only go up from here.

I will start with the benching from catching back in May where he was reportedly calling pitches that some pitchers did not have. No party involved has confirmed or denied these allegations, but if it truly was true, that was the low point. It cannot not get worse than that, can it? I hope not at least as a fan of the Redbirds myself.

By the numbers, he is in the midst of his worst season by far in terms of defensive runs saved, too. It is time to cut him some slack though. Throughout his career, he has been very close to league average. Here is snapshot of his past five seasons, including this year:

2023: -6 DRS

2022: -1 DRS

2021: +8 DRS

2020: +1 DRS

2019: -1 DRS

Whatever spilled into his coffee in 2021 could come around sooner rather than later, and I truly think he will adjust back towards being league average where has shown to be in years past. If he does that, will he be worth it?

Another aspect of catching is helping pitchers out by framing pitches and luring umpires into giving your team strikes. This season he has -5.6 FRM (Framing Runs Above Average). Although below average, this is in alignment historically through his career, too. Did anyone expect anything different here?

I cannot say Willson Contreras is going to become Yadier Molina by any stretch of the imagination if he goes down to work with him or they lay out a specific plan to improve his pitch-calling abilities, but I do think that he will improve towards league average as expected. It will never be as egregious as it looked earlier in 2023.

In regard to the St. Louis Cardinals and Willson Contreras reigniting the flame they must communicate expectations and commit to a vision moving forward, he has to continue to hit as expected, and his worst defensive issues must be a thing of the past. I want it to work, but time will tell.

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