The offseason is a time for change. Teams look to shuffle their rosters to make way for new players, cut payroll and try to woo potential free agents. It’s also a time to readjustment for players already on a team as reports roll in about players who will be changing positions for the coming season. At the 2024 MLB General Manager meetings, St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak told reporters that Willson Contreras would be sliding over to first base in the wake of Paul Goldschmidt’s free agency departure. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers was first to report the news.

Contreras, 32, signed a five-year $87.5 million contract with the Cardinals following longtime catcher Yadier Molina’s retirement after the 2022 season. Contreras had spent his entire career with the NL Central rival Chicago Cubs, earning three All-Star nominations, before signing with the Cardinals in 2023.

The move to first base is the latest installment in the saga concerning St. Louis’s dissatisfaction with Contreras’s defense behind the plate. In 2023, the Cardinals moved him from behind the plate just a month into the season after their horrendous 10-23 start and a starting pitching staff that had the 24th-ranked ERA in the league. After nearly two decades of a potential Hall of Famer behind the plate in Molina, it was clear that the Cardinals were having a hard time adjusting to the fact that Molina was one of a kind.

“Do we think we’ve seen Willson catch his last game? No.” said Mozeliak at the time of the move last season, “But this is going to take a little time to get him to where we feel he understands the expectations of what this role is for us.”

The announcement was confusing as Contreras would return to the position just a week later going on to catch a total of 97 games in 2023. In 2024 he caught just 51 of the 84 games he appeared in during the season after suffering a left arm fracture on May 7 when he was struck by a J.D. Martinez swing. He then suffered a right middle finger fracture before returning in late June. He would play until August 24 before going on the injured list again for the final month of the season. The forearm injury occurred because of Contrera’s efforts to get lower and closer to the plate to earn more strikes for Cardinals pitchers. Rather than risk his health and allow younger receivers to prevail, the Cardinals feel it’s in his best interest to move off the position.

“Basically, our medical team recommended it,” Mozeliak told MLB.com’s John Denton. “In terms of if he really wants to extend his career, they think that would be best for him. Catching is, obviously, a demanding position. He missed a lot of time this past year because of injuries. One, because of being a catcher, and, one, when he was hit by a pitch, which was random.”

While the Cardinals aren’t likely to say it out loud, his defense has left them wanting more. This isn’t to say he’s been bad Statcast has rated him favorably when it comes to blocking and his arm strength, but he threw out 11 of 48 baserunners attempting to steal, committed three errors and had four passed balls. Cardinals are hoping younger catchers like Pedro Pages ( .238/.281/.376 in 218 big league plate appearances in 2024) and Ivan Herrera (.289/.365/.398 hitter in 325 major league plate appearances) can take up the mantle and provide the defense the team desires.

It’s always been known that Contreras is a bat-first type of catcher, even though he does take a lot of pride in his work behind the plate. Still, when healthy Contreras has lived up to his contract offensively. In 853 plate appearances over the last two seasons, he has slashed .263/.367/.468 with 35 home runs and 103 RBI. In 2024 alone he still slashed .262/.380/.468 with 15 home runs in 358 plate appearances while putting up a 2.9 rWAR season.

The hope is that Contreras can keep the offensive numbers going at first base and designated hitter and perhaps improve on them with the less wear and tear on his body. After all, he features a keen eye at the plate with a career 10.1% walk rate with double-digit home runs in every full 162 same season.

However, will Contreras be able to rise to the task of playing first base? Often the impact a first baseman can have on infield defense is overlooked. Paul Goldschmidt has always provided excellent defense at first with his ability to scoop low throws and make heads-up plays but will Contreras display the same type of athleticism and instincts? He has played first base since 2019 and has only played 11 games, including four starts, at the position at the big league level.

His bat will give the Cardinals some flexibility if they want to go a different direction defensively at first as Contreras can fill the DH role more often than not. Should something happen to one of the other catchers, he can also suit up behind the dish once again as well. Still, there was some speculation that moving Contreras to first was a ploy by the Cardinals’ front office to entice him to waive his full no-trade clause.

With the collapse of regional sports networks, the Cardinals are among the many teams uncertain about revenue from television. Diamond Sports’ pending bankruptcy court case could drastically reduce TV rights fees while rebranding as FanDuel Sports Network leaves those revenue streams undetermined for the coming season. Plus, the Cardinals are hoping to cut payroll to make way for a younger core while moving expensive veteran contracts if possible.

Contreras is owed $18 million a year for the next three seasons, an amount the Cardinals would surely like to get out from under. However, he has expressed his desire to stay with the team as The Athletic’s Katie Woo reports that Mozeliak added that Contreras was quite clear about his desire to remain in St. Louis even as the team embarks on a rebuild/reset.

It remains to be seen how this development will pan out for the Cardinals and Contreras but it could end up working in the long run. Contreras’ offensive capabilities outweigh his defensive shortcomings at the plate and a focus more on hitting without the demands of catching and planning could help him stay healthy and return to All-Star form in 2025 as a leader for a young Cardinals team.