Vatican Personalities Left Unmoved at Initial Trade Deadline, Potential Offseason Deals on the Horizon
St. Louis Cardinals' Catching Surplus and Potential Trades
The St. Louis Cardinals have a wealth of talent in their catching department, with a surplus of major-league catchers and promising prospects in the minors. Jimmy Crooks (#5 prospect), Leonardo Bernal (#3 prospect), and Rainiel Rodriguez are some of the minor league catchers who could potentially make their way to the majors in the future.
Despite this surplus, the Cardinals did not capitalize on the catching market at the deadline. This could mean that they are considering trading one or more catchers to address other roster needs or improve their future prospects pool.
Catching prospects tend to hold considerable trade value because they are hard to find, so packaging a catcher in exchange for pitching prospects or other controllable talent could be advantageous. However, no specific major-league catcher trade rumors have been highlighted in the most recent reports, suggesting the Cardinals have focused more on trading relievers like Ryan Helsley rather than catchers at this time.
One potential trade option might involve moving one of the catchers—likely a minor league prospect such as Crooks or Bernal—since the team has more catching depth than it can use at the major league level. Trading major-league catchers Yohel Pozo or Pedro Pages could force Jimmy Crooks to be called up if he finishes the year strong in the minors.
The Cardinals' organization prefers Pedro Pages over Yohel Pozo and Ivan Herrera, but Herrera’s days behind the plate are likely over this year due to injuries. Ivan Herrera might return to the catcher position for the Cardinals next year, assuming he recovers from his injuries this season.
Meanwhile, AJ Preller of the San Diego Padres was in need of a catcher and was willing to trade MLB-ready pitching for one. In the final hours of Thursday afternoon, the Padres acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals. Fermin, 30, has a .255/.309/.339 slash line and an OPS+ of 81, and is an exceptional defensive catcher, but his offensive output is not as strong as that of the Cardinals' current major-league catchers, Yohel Pozo and Pedro Pages.
The depth of catching prospects in the Cardinals' minor league system allows for potential trades of major-league catchers. Trading Pedro Pages while he still has defensive value may be wise, and capitalizing on Yohel Pozo's surprisingly good offensive year could also be beneficial. The Padres' acquisition of Fermin suggests that one of the Cardinals' current major-league catchers, Yohel Pozo or Pedro Pages, could have been appealing to the Padres.
Willson Contreras's catching days are likely over for the Cardinals, and trading some of their catching surplus this offseason could help balance their roster and maximize their asset value. The Cardinals should try and move some of their catching surplus this offseason to address other roster needs and improve their future prospects pool.
- Considering the Cardinals' surplus of major-league catchers and promising prospects, they might try to trade one of their catchers to address other roster needs or improve their future prospects pool, similar to what the San Diego Padres did with Freddy Fermin.
- The Cardinals' organization, holding a wealth of talent in the catching department, could potentially capitalize on Yohel Pozo's surprisingly good offensive year or trading Pedro Pages while he still has defensive value to balance their roster and maximize their asset value, as Willson Contreras's catching days are likely over for the Cardinals.
