In a surprising move, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that All-Star catcher Willson Contreras will shift to first base for the 2025 season, marking his final transition in the organization after two challenging years as catcher. Once considered the heir to Yadier Molina, Contreras was reassigned to designated hitter early in his Cardinals tenure due to defensive shortcomings. Now, according to Jesse Rogers, Contreras is set to replace Paul Goldschmidt at first base, signaling that Goldschmidt will likely explore opportunities elsewhere. For the Cardinals, this shift allows them to retain strong offensive production at first, assuming they keep Contreras on the roster.
General Manager John Mozeliak confirmed that Contreras, who has a full no-trade clause, intends to stay with the Cardinals, making a trade less likely. Despite injuries that limited him this season, Contreras posted a stellar offensive performance, hitting .262/.380/.468 with a 136 OPS+ in 84 games, his best yet. While his value is traditionally higher as a catcher, the Cardinals are betting on his offensive consistency to justify his $18 million annual salary as he takes on a new role.
This decision also clears a path for Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages to become the new catching duo. Herrera, a promising talent, was largely blocked by Contreras but will now get more regular starts. Pages, who took over the role in 2024 due to his defensive skills, will also see significant time. Although the Cardinals haven’t yet detailed how this impacts first base depth with Luken Baker and Alec Burleson, they could see more at-bats as designated hitters.
While Cardinals fans await more clarity, this position shift suggests a new direction for the team, with Contreras and Herrera set to play key roles as St. Louis prepares for its next phase.
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