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World Baseball Classic
Let me be clear, the World Baseball Classic is not an excuse for the Cardinals and cannot be used as such. But I do think it's fair to believe it has impacted them to some extent.
Nolan Arenado and Miles Mikolas began the season ice-cold for the Cardinals. The club had a league-high 18 participants in the Classic, and it surely impacted the team's ability to bond during Spring Training. Think about that, how much more could this club have rallied together if they had spent the spring together preparing for the season?
It also seems fair to wonder how much of the Cardinals' apparent issues with Contreras' catching arose from a lack of time with Contreras. Many of the Cardinals pitchers were gone during the spring, creating a lack of cohesion with their catcher who was learning their ways.
Again, not an excuse, but it's fair to wonder how things could have been a bit different had the Cardinals not sent so many players this year.