Cardinals Writer Praises $87 Million Slugger For Position Change, Calls Out Rafael Devers

The St. Louis Cardinals let Paul Goldschmidt walk last offseason and ultimately found their replacement at first base internally. As part of their "reset," they chose to give playing time to young catchers Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages.

To do this, they moved Willson Contreras to first base, and the veteran slugger's transition to a new position has been seamless. Contreras was willing to accept the position change, which has benefitted the team thus far.

On the opposite side, the Boston Red Sox have had a little drama on their hands with Rafael Devers being unwilling to move positions.

Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants praised Contreras for accepting his position change, while also calling out Devers for being unwilling to do what is best for his team.

"Devers's unwillingness to play first base to help out his team comes off as slightly selfish when compared to Willson Contreras's willingness to play other positions to help out the team. Contreras has sacrificed his body (literally) and his legacy by switching positions with the Cardinals, and he's done it with a smile on his face and without complaint," Gauvain wrote.

While Devers' frustration is understandable, his comments do come off as selfish. Meanwhile, Contreras has swallowed his pride and decided to do what is best for the Cardinals, even if that means moving out of the catcher spot.

The Cardinals have gotten more than they bargained for with Contreras at first base, and his willingness to switch positions shows that he is a team-first player, while Devers is seemingly putting himself above the Red Sox needs.