Yohel Pozo
Arguably the biggest surprise of the 2025 season and most heartwarming story, Yohel Pozo provided Cardinals fans with a ton of fun moments during this past season, but the magic eventually wore off, and his success at the plate faded big time.
On the year, Pozo finished with a .236/.267/.382 slash line with five home runs and 19 RBI in 165 plate appearances for St. Louis. He played in 66 games, but as the year went on, his wRC+ dipped further and further, and he ended with an 80 wRC+ and 0.3 fWAR.
I would not be surprised at all to see Pozo retained as organizational depth if he clears waivers and doesn't get a shot with another team, but when it comes to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this year, I don't see the club carrying him on it, at least coming out of the winter. With Ivan Herrera resuming catching duties in 2026 and Pedro Pages likely remaining for at least another year, there's not really room for Pozo on the Major League roster. Pair that with Jimmy Crooks making his debut this year and Leonardo Bernal needing to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 draft, and I just don't see the Cardinals carrying Bernal as a fifth catcher on the 40-man.
A couple of things could change that, though. If the Cardinals shopped someone like Crooks or Pages this offseason, then it would make sense to hold onto Pozo so Bernal isn't put in a position to be rushed next year. Or again, other organizations could pass on Pozo, so he may come back to the Cardinals as depth, like he was to begin 2025.
But I really do hope for Pozo's sake that another organization wants to give him a chance. I doubt someone trades for him, but when the Cardinals eventually designate him for an assignment, it would be fun to see him get another shot at a big league roster somewhere else. It would take multiple injuries for Pozo even to have a part-time role in St. Louis next year, and if he really wants to earn a free agent contract or arbitration at some point, he needs to play.