Cardinals May Soon Cut Ties With 28-Year-Old Despite Breakthrough Season

How does this logjam get sorted out?

Apr 9, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The St. Louis Cardinals equipment manger scrubs the team batting helmets before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Logjams aren't the worst problems Major League Baseball teams can face, but they're problems nonetheless.

This winter, the St. Louis Cardinals project to have far too many catchers who could help the big-league roster. Iván Herrera should be healthy enough to return to catching duties, but returners Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo are in the picture as well, as are top prospects Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal.

Amazing that it's come to this only three years after the Cardinals paid Willson Contreras $87.5 million just to move him from catcher to first base? Yes, but we'll stay on topic.

Could Cardinals non-tender Yohel Pozo?

Because there are only so many innings to go around behind the plate, someone will likely have to be removed from the mix. And on Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com suggested that Pozo could be non-tendered this winter, as the others all likely have higher upside.

"Yohel Pozo, one of the feel-good stories from the 2025 season, is also a non-tender candidate because of the glut of catchers the team has," Denton wrote.

Non-tendering Pozo wouldn't be a cost-cutting move at all -- he still has rookie status entering next season, so it will be a while before he's owed any significant amount of salary. But as the Cardinals trim down their 40-man roster, it might just be the most practical way to move on from the 28-year-old if they can't find a trade.

Pozo has spent parts of 11 seasons in the minor leagues, and according to Denton, he and his family lost their insurance during the minor-league COVID shutdown in 2020 and were briefly homeless.

Now, with 67 major league games under his belt from this past season, Pozo's stock is probably at its all-time high. But the Cardinals just happen to have one of the toughest depth charts to crack at his position, and it might be doing him a favor to let him pursue other opportunities.

Still, it's a tough call to let go of a player who had his long-awaited big break in a particular organization.

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