Contreras is a better hitter than Bregman was last season. He's more than an adequate replacement. The assumption was that they'd add another POWER bat. They went completely in the opposite direction of that by adding Durbin. If they added Eugenio Suarez to play 3b, the offense would still be struggling most likely. The fanbase may have been happier in the offseason, but they wouldn't be right now.
Brez pivoted to the pitching and defense mode and that just hasn't really worked out. I don't think it's a great way to win consistently if you don't have solid bats up and down the lineup. Right now, there is too much variance offensively.