The Cardinals rebuild won't be as painful as we originally thought
Yesterday at 09:00 AM
Yesterday, we got some good news from John Mozeliak at the GM meetings. He revealed that Willson Contreras would be moving to first base to replace Paul Goldschmidt. It was also announced that both he and Sonny Gray have decided to invoke their no-trade clauses and remain with the Cardinals despite their "reset."
At the onset of the offseason, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the possibility that both of them could be gone, in addition to Ryan Helsley and Nolan Arenado. This would have indicated a drastic shift, and even though Katie Woo said the Cardinals weren't going to strip this thing down to the bones, I was worried.
But now, we have confirmation that at least two of the four want to stay in St. Louis. I'm mostly relieved. While I know this offseason won't be a sexy one by any means, it's nice to know that Gray and Contreras still want to be here.
This means that the rebuild the Cardinals are about to embark on isn't going to be nearly as painful as we thought. There will be some pain involved, but there's actually a chance the Cardinals can remain competitive next year.
It's good to have a proven pitcher and a proven hitter around as veteran presences that can help guide the Cardinals through this transitional period. I think moving Contreras to first base is also a good idea because it allows the Cardinals to keep his bat in the lineup and protect him from the common catcher injuries. But I would like to see the Cardinals to prioritize making Ivan Herrera the starting catcher next season, working with him all offseason to improve his defense so his bat can also remain in the lineup.
As for Arenado and Helsley, I'm guessing they both will be traded. Mo mentioned that there was one player who asked him to "explore things." I can only assume that was Arenado. Nobody is going to want Miles Mikolas, and John Denton has repeatedly stated that Arenado wants a chance to win a championship. Even with Gray and Contreras still around, he won't have that chance here in St. Louis in 2025, though the Cardinals are definitely going to have to eat some money and likely won't get an amazing package for him.
It also makes sense for the Cardinals to capitalize on Helsley's value while they still can. It's never going to be as high as it is now after saving 49 games during the regular season. I'm still looking forward to seeing younger players get their chances, and trading Helsley and Arenado will allow for that.
But we can breathe a little easier now knowing that Gray and Contreras aren't going anywhere for the time being.
