Wilson Contreras, who transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals to become Yadier Molina’s successor, received a failing grade in catcher defense. He lost the position as he started four consecutive games as the designated hitter. This happened 30 games after the transfer.
On the 9th (Korean time), Contreras led the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory in the ‘2023 Major League Baseball’ held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He came out as the fourth hitter and showed his presence with 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats. It is a result that he posted as a designated hitter, not as a catcher. Contreras has started as a designated hitter in four consecutive games since the game against Detroit on the 6th.
In order to fill the position of Molina, who retired at the end of last season, St. Louis contemplated various scenarios such as trade and free agent recruitment, and then recruited offensive catcher Contreras. 5+1 year contract with club option for 5 years, 87.5 million dollars (approximately 115.7 billion won). However, St. Louis gave up catcher Contreras after 30 games.
Contreras served as the starting catcher through his first 30 games, occasionally serving as the designated hitter for rest. However, starting with his 31st game, he has all started as the designated hitter.안전놀이터
The Athletic of the United States criticized the club’s decision on the 9th, saying, “The signing of Contreras from St. Louis was a questionable choice from the beginning.” “St. Louis doesn’t usually spend a lot of money on free agents. They have a knack for trading. Also, they’ve been helped by an unrealistic player at the catcher position,” the magazine wrote. That means I haven’t had to worry about catchers for the past 20 years thanks to Molina.
Regarding the signing of Contreras, “their biggest rivals, the Cubs, did not want to renew the contract,” he said.
The Cubs decided that Contreras’ defense and game management skills did not meet the club’s standards, so he gave up his free agency contract. St. Louis, who needed a catcher due to Molina’s retirement, initially pursued a trade with Oakland for Sean Murphy (Atlanta), but ended negotiations. Contreras was recruited as a free agent, but the vacancy at catcher remains an issue.