Cardinals Writer Urges Team To Cut Ties With Young Catcher Before Season's End

The Cardinals like his catching, but his hitting is lackluster.

Aug 8, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) is congratulated by guest coach Yadier Molina (4) after scoring against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals were sellers at the trade deadline, shipping out rental relievers Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton. Their chances of reaching the postseason are slim, as they are 13 games back in the National League Central and 4 1/2 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

They won a key game on Friday night against the Chicago Cubs, but their best hope is to play spoiler for contending teams down the stretch of the 2025 season. After 2025, things are going to change, as John Mozeliak will step down as president of baseball operations and give way to Chaim Bloom.

But that doesn't mean things can't change before the end of the season. Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants listed three players that should be off the roster before the end of August, and one of them was catcher Pedro Pages.

"Pedro Pages's production at the plate has been lackluster all year. Among players with at least 250 plate appearances, Pedro Pages ranks 7th to last with a 60 wRC+. He's had a couple of timely and impactful hits, but he's striking out nearly 27% of the time while hitting just barely above the Mendoza line," Gauvain wrote.

Will Cardinals Dump Slumping Catcher?

Aug 2, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The Cardinals likely won't use Ivan Herrera as a catcher any longer. They do like the way Pages handles the pitching staff, but his bat has yet to come around. He is hitting just .210/.255/.330 with seven home runs, 33 RBI and a .585 OPS.

The Cardinals do have a potential replacement waiting in the wings in Jimmy Crooks. He is the team's No. 5 prospect and is performing well in Triple-A Memphis. At this point, the Cardinals have given Pages enough runway, and it's time for them to give Crooks a chance at the big-league level.

Perhaps Crooks could give them a bit of a boost offensively. But with the team out of contention, now is the time to see what the younger players can do. No longer should they be trying to balance runway with results.

The time has come to focus on the future and youth. The Cardinals also have a lot of catchers in their system, and they need to clear the logjam somehow.

The Cardinals likely won't cut ties with Pages, but it will be interesting to see if maybe they decide to give Crooks a chance.

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