If it wasn’t clear already, this should mean that Paul Goldschmidt will have to seek opportunities from a different team. But, for the Cardinals, it means their offensive production at first base won’t be diminished in 2025 even after losing Goldy, assuming they do keep Contreras around for 2025. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how Contreras plays at first base defensively, especially since Goldschmidt was a 4-time Gold Glover.

As for Contreras’s future with the Cardinals, it probably means that he won’t be moved this offseason to a contending team, as he certainly has more trade value as a catcher. John Mozeliak confirmed to media that Contreras desires to remain with the Cardinals and has a full no-trade clause.

He suffered two major injuries this season while catching, though, so while his positioning won’t be as valuable, he will hopefully have more availability going forward, something else highlighted by Mozeliak. His bat should more than suffice as a first baseman, as he was having a career year offensively before being shelved on the IL. In just 84 games, Contreras slashed .262/.380/.468 with a 136 OPS+, by far the best of his career.

Contreras’ bat is well worth the $18 million per year that the Cardinals are paying him on his contract, so anyone who is bashing the move right now and making fun of the Cardinals seems to not understand the value Contreras has offensively. The way St. Louis has handled Contreras’ catching duties has been frustrating, but his full-time move to first base is not something worth critiquing them for.