Cardinals Could Move Young Catchers As Trade Talks Pick Up This Offseason

The Cards simply have too many.

Sep 11, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of the 9/11 ribbon on a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have begun work on one of their most important offseasons in recent memory after Chaim Bloom took over for John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations.

The organization is set to rebuild and take a step back from contention. They’ll also be trading players away. Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado are on the trade block, and several teams are already showing interest in Brendan Donovan.

However, those aren’t the only players the Cardinals are considering trading. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis is receiving trade interest in some of their catchers.

Cardinals Should Move Catchers This Offseason

Sep 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) hits a single against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Cardinals already have Pedro Pages, Yohel Pozo, Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal in the mix. They also are hoping to see if Ivan Herrera can end up being the everyday catcher in 2026.

So, with that in mind, the Cardinals are probably going to have to trade one or two of their catchers. Bernal is almost ready, and in a few years, Rainel Rodriguez should be ready.

That all adds up to a logjam of catchers. The Cardinals simply have too many of them and not enough places to put them.

Herrera at least can be used as designated hitter and can even play a little field, so if he is not able to run with the starting catcher job, the Cardinals have other options for him.

But Pages hasn’t quite panned out as a hitter and Pozo struggled towards the end of the season, so the Cardinals could look to trade or release one of them to clear out the logjam of catchers while also giving Herrera the opportunity to prove if he can become the catcher of the future.

This could be done to help the Cardinals acquire controllable pitching for the future. That is where they are currently lacking in depth, but trading some of their catchers could allow them to bring in some young pitching and restock the farm system or help the Major League roster instantly.

There are a lot of paths the Cardinals can take this winter to rebuild, but they have to find a way to clear out their logjam of catchers. They simply have too many in the organization and not enough pitching, so it makes sense for them to be listening to offers for their young catchers as they assess what they have for the future.

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