The trade market will be the primary topic of discussion for the St. Louis Cardinals this summer. It doesn’t have any ifs, ands, or buts.
This summer, St. Louis has a lot of players to keep an eye on, including the obvious ones like Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado. That might not be all, though. In her analysis of the Cardinals’ catching predicament, Katie Woo of The Athletic pointed out that Pedro Pagés might also be traded this summer.
“St. Louis also has an abundance of catchers at the major-league level and coming up through the minors,” Woo stated. “Next year, Iván Herrera is expected to return behind the plate, albeit not fully. Leonardo Bernal, who won a minor-league Gold Glove for Double-A Springfield, is expected to move up to Triple A, and he could share time with rookie catcher Jimmy Crooks. Pedro Pagés is now the odd man out and a possible candidate for a trade.
The Cardinals need to take a long look at catcher
When St. Louis needed him in 2025, Pagés stepped up. The Cardinals currently have a catcher surplus, but early in 2025, that wasn’t the case. Iván Herrera was supposed to be the star, but he sustained an injury that prevented him from catching for the majority of the season. Pagés took center stage for a while, but Yohel Pozo was given a chance.
Pagés slashed during his second season in the major leagues. 230/.272/.363 with 45 RBIs and 11 home runs in 112 games. The Cardinals included Pagés, Pozo, and No. 6 prospect Jimmy Crooks in the final stretch. There isn’t much room to spare now that Herrera is anticipated to return to the plate in 2026.
Pagés, who is 27 years old, has demonstrated over the past two seasons that he is a competent catcher for a squad. He would be an excellent catcher, but right now he’s probably a team’s No. 2 catcher.
Crooks may play a big part in 2026 if the Cardinals severed their relationship with him. That is significant in and of itself because the Cardinals must determine whether he is a long-term solution or whether they can construct the position around someone like Bernal in the minor leagues in addition to Herrera.