Cardinals decided to replace free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt with their catcher, Willson Contreras. GM John Mozeliak talked about the move:

Mozeliak pointed to injuries as one deciding factor for the move. Contreras missed time this past season with a broken arm after getting hit by a swing from New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez.

It’s also not uncommon for aging catchers to add or move to another position to preserve themselves after taking a beating behind the plate for so long. Contreras hit 15 home runs while compiling an .842 OPS in 2024, but he played in only 84 games because of the broken arm.

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Ivan Herrera likely becomes the first string catcher. Contreras and Herrera sat atop the Cardinals offense in 2024, so this move should improve the team offensively.

Goldschmidt, at seasonal age 36 saw his production fall off. Still it was a good trade and contract extension for St. Louis. Goldschmidt generated 20 fWAR for St. Louis for $145 million. That works out to $7.3 million per war, a low rate for a productive hitter.