runner is out at THIS moment. they have no right to ANYTHING at this point, but they do have an obligation not to interefere with defense. runner came and and slid purposely into catchers legs with no legitimate purpose other than to take them out. if that is not definition of malicious contact (purposely making contact with no legitimate purpose), it needs to be. I can tell you someone does this to DD2, they better be ready to face DD1 in the parking lot is DD1 is at game.
sorry, dirty play, no matter how it gets spun. runners reaction after kinda confirms it (rolls onto plate to try and decieve about where they slid, no thought of checking on catcher)
did catcher set up wrong, yes, but that does not give runner right to take them out (different if tag play, then slide into defender is allowed to dislodge ball, get under/round tag, etc.) that is key here, runner is out already, from the split second in the above picture. plenty of time to veer off, slide behind catcher, etc.
maybe we should not award fee base on HBP if the contact occurred in the river. after all, the batter is truly only safe in the box? make the river a kind of wild west no mans land where anything goes. maybe catchers should learn how to trip and fall into basepath once contact is made (they wouldnt be blocking 1B, go around them). maybe catchers as they set up should untie batters shoelaces (not spelled out specifically as malicious contact in rulebook, must be OK).