Former friend reminds Cardinals fans what the lineup is missing

The St. Louis Cardinals just wrapped up a frustrating series against the Boston Red Sox, and former friend Willson Contreras was at the forefront of the onslaught. It was just the Cardinals' second series loss of the 2026 season, but it left me, and I am sure a few more fans, wishing Contreras were still donning Cardinal red.

As one of Willson Contreras' biggest fans from his time in St. Louis, I felt the impact of his trade out of town harder than that of Sonny Gray or Nolan Arenado, although it was as needed as the other two while the Cardinals began navigating the rebuild waters. While I am extremely complimentary of Chaim Bloom doing what was necessary to truly get this new era of baseball going, at the time, I thought that holding onto Contreras until the All-Star break or trade deadline would have been just as beneficial, although riskier when looking at the return that Bloom was able to get from his former employers.

My biggest criticism of the deal was that this left the Cardinals with a massive question mark in left field, and that remains true. With Lars Nootbaar still injured and a cycle of Nathan Church, Jose Fermin, and Thomas Saggese filling his place, it is no surprise that the left field spot has been a bit of a black hole offensively, although overshadowed by Jordan Walker's unreal start to the season. If the Cardinals were to hold onto Contreras into the regular season, this would have allowed Alec Burleson to stand in the grass while still providing his consistent offensive production in the lineup. Burly's defense was not spectacular in the outfield, but as we have seen, the lineup is missing pop and run-scoring prowess, so I would personally give up a couple extra steps in the outfield to see some more runners cross home plate.

The Cardinals will continue to search for offense to replace Contreras' lost production

Now, the left field carousel in St. Louis has been lacking production while Burleson has been his usual solid self and playing solid defense at first base. Beyond just Contreras' run production, which was on full display against St. Louis as the veteran hit a homer and drove in six runs during the series, the young Redbirds may be missing his energy and gamesmanship. The latter was seen multiple times over the weekend, with Contreras playing a solid first base, getting hit by a pitch, and moving all around the batter's box during each plate appearance. That type of performance would be a great "lead by example" for the St. Louis youngsters and also be a force in the lineup that could have provided protection for Burleson and Walker and also moved Nolan Gorman and Masyn Winn to different spots in the lineup.

I am not looking at this in hindsight, as I understood the need to deal Contreras, especially since Bloom was able to get major league talent back in the trade. However, for a team going through so many changes in one year, having a sense of stability with Contreras, even for the first few months, could have helped the transition from spring into the regular season.

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