By now, things may have smoothed over with the St. Louis Cardinals.
For the first time since mid-April, the team has won back-to-back games and has also finally nailed down their first series-opening win.
However, the situation with new catcher and now new designated hitter Willson Contreras continues to be an issue.
The Cardinals recently removed him from the catcher spot and decided to use him almost exclusively as a DH.
On Monday, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol continued to add fuel to the fire by once again defending his and the organization’s decision, as well as push the narrative that Contreras was somehow to blame for their struggles.
#STLCards manager Oli Marmol on Contreras: “You had a choice to continue down the road we were going & I honestly feel like we could’ve potentially ended up in a worse situation, long term than what we’re experiencing. This looks reactive… but I actually think it’s proactive.”
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) May 8, 2023
While Contreras remains a force at the plate and is still producing for the Cardinals, Marmol’s comments could be taken as a bad look for the team and the organization.
Contreras is obviously not Yadier Molina when it comes to defense, but regardless of who the Cardinals chose as Molina’s successor, it would have been unrealistic to assume that their new catcher would be on the same level as the future Hall-of-Famer.
Change was certainly needed, but this may not be the best course of action.
And so, as time goes on, it appears the Cardinals organization is trying to use Contreras as a scapegoat for their uncharacteristically bad start to the season.
Yet Contreras has been able to block out any distractions.
On Monday, he picked up two hits and drove in the winning run for the Cardinals in his return to Wrigley Field for the first time as an opposing player.
The veteran slugger spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago Cubs and was part of their 2016 World Series squad.
NEXT:
Willson Contreras Enjoyed A Special Wrigley Field Homecoming
