The St. Louis Cardinals may be turning the corner.
They now have won three consecutive games for the first time all season after losing eight in a row.
Still, the central focus of the team lately has been the controversy surrounding their new catcher Willson Contreras, who was removed from the starting catcher role to serve as a full-time designated hitter.
This move has been met with criticism from Cardinals fans and St. Louis media members.
But outside of St. Louis, other key MLB insiders have expressed their confusion over the situation.
ESPN’s Buster Olney appeared on a local St. Louis radio show on Tuesday and gave his take on what is currently happening with the Cardinals and Contreras.
After speaking with executives around the league, ESPN's @Buster_ESPN shares the consensus about the Wilson Contreras situation.#BallooParty | #STLCards
Full interview: https://t.co/eJ8dGI7JBD pic.twitter.com/e5N5BOUlrg
— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) May 9, 2023
Olney referenced a tweet he posted on Monday, where he stated that if the Cardinals truly wanted Contreras to be their catcher, he would still be catching.
He says that this sentiment has been echoed by rival executives he has spoken to.
Olney also noted that several Cardinals prospects are now blocked.
Jordan Walker, who was demoted to Triple-A at the end of April, now doesn’t have a clear path back to the big leagues.
Players such as Juan Yepez and Tyler O’Neill are also essentially blocked.
Olney says he gets the sense that the Cardinals are devaluing some of their prospects and younger players by making this move.
In addition, if Contreras ever sits on the bench, it may ultimately lead to the Cardinals not pursuing certain free agents due to the amount of money they’re paying him.
Contreras has continued to produce at the plate, making it so the Cardinals can keep his bat in the lineup.
Olney closed his statement by saying that it seems as if the Cardinals believe Contreras’ days as an everyday catcher are essentially over.
NEXT: Willson Contreras Expresses His Gratitude To Cardinals Fans