Willson Contreras' Outburst Proves Cardinals are Missing Key Ingredient

Granted, the Cardinals are a young team with a lot of competitive fire this season. But if they still had Contreras in the middle of the lineup, they would have somebody who could stoke that fire and stand up for himself and his teammates.

That isn't to say the Cardinals don't have players who will do that, but Contreras' passion and excitement is hard to match. He has had some blowups as a player, but it's ultimately the sign of a star willing to make the hard decisions and step in when necessary.

The Cardinals could use his presence in the middle of their lineup as they navigate the rough waters of their schedule, but it also wouldn't hurt to have somebody that isn't afraid to fight back when disrespected or tested.

The Cardinals likely won't be adding anything big at the trade deadline, so chances of a reunion with Contreras are unlikely. But still, having him would change a lot of things for St. Louis. Every team needs at least one player who is willing to fight back when the situation calls for it.

Before the rebuild, the Cardinals had that piece in Contreras, and his recent outburst proves just what the young Cardinals are missing in their clubhouse. He is a veteran leader on the Red Sox, but also is not afraid to get in the middle of a scrum when the situation calls for him.

It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals do something about that at the trade deadline, but the team they have doesn't exactly have a lot of players that are anything like Contreras with his boisterous energy that rubs off on his teammates.

We'll see if the Cardinals go looking for that piece.

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