Ex-Cardinals Catcher 'Name To Watch' For NL Foe After Eight-Year Stint In St. Louis
The St. Louis Cardinals entered this offseason with a strong group of position players and were mainly focused on retooling the pitching staff.
With that said, two areas of concern that were dealt with included the logjam of outfielders and catchers -- both positions saw players traded or non-tendered.
A former St. Louis catcher who was non-tendered by the club in November might soon find his new home with a National League rival.
"The (Miami) Marlins are exploring catching additions and I think Andrew Knizner is a name to watch there for sure," FanSided's Robert Murray said on "The Baseball Insiders" on Monday.
Knizner batted .241 with 21 extra-base hits including 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, and .712 OPS in 70 games played for the Cardinals in 2023.
The 28-year-old was the backup catcher for St. Louis last season behind Wilson Contreras, who caught 29 more games than Knizner.
Despite playing a significant role last year, the Cardinals cut ties with Knizner. Contreras has locked down the primary catching role and St. Louis has Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés to develop for the future -- keeping Knizner wouldn't have made sense.
The Marlins, however, need to add another catcher to their roster as they currently only have Christian Bethancourt and Nick Fortes -- two players who averaged over 70 less OPS than Knizner in 2023.
It's unfortunate to see a well-developed homegrown talent like Knizner walk away from the club after a successful season but Herrera will be exciting to watch moving forward.
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