St. Louis Cardinals: Andrew Knizner is in a tough spot

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner faces an uncertain future with the team, and won’t have clarity until Yadier Molina’s situation is settled.

Whether Yadier Molina stays with the St. Louis Cardinals next year is dominating the headlines, but Andrew Knizner‘s situation also bears watching. With Molina’s future hanging in the balance and prospect Ivan Herrera waiting in the wings, Knizner’s potential role in 2021 is anything but solidified.

The ageless elephant in the room is Molina. Knizner served most of the season backing up Molina and Matt Wieters. With Wieters unlikely to come back, the top backup spot would appear to be Knizner’s if Molina were re-signed. But Knizner, who will be 26 for the 2021 season, would still be stunted in development unless the Cardinals give Molina more days off. And Molina doesn’t take kindly to those.

Knizner didn’t set the world on fire in his limited appearances, but he showed signs of improvement, especially on defense. If the Cardinals still can’t get him ample time to play, it might be time to trade him.

Teams in need of a catcher include the Tampa Bay Rays, whose starter is the scuffling Mike Zunino, and the Philadelphia Phillies, who are still trying to re-sign J.T. Realmuto. But even if Knizner isn’t deemed an everyday catcher, plenty of teams would likely be willing to develop him as a backup, especially ones without catching prospects in the high minors.

Knizner might be able to fetch a decent return if the Cardinals gave him up. After all, Carson Kelly, a catcher who was in a similar position to Knizner, was traded with Luke Weaver and Andy Young for Paul Goldschmidt.

This could all be moot, however, if Molina is not re-signed. Herrera, who seems to have leapfrogged Knizner as the “catcher of the future,” probably isn’t ready for the big time just yet. In that case, Knizner might finally be able to secure a starting job with St. Louis. The team could find a veteran backup in the mold of Wieters and leave Herrera in the minor leagues for another year.

I’m not overjoyed at the idea of Knizner starting, but I do think it’s very possible he turns into a decent performer if given the opportunity. However, the best action could be for the Cardinals to use him as a sort of “bridge” to Herrera. If Knizner shows decent but unspectacular skills, let him start for one or two years, then plug Herrera into the starting role.

Molina is a once-in-a-generation player, and he is still solid at the plate and behind it. But the Cardinals need to look to the future at some point, and giving players time on the field at the highest level is more important than ever with the recent contraction of the minor leagues.

The thought of Knizner as the hyped catcher to supplant Molina is quickly fading, though it’s through little fault of his own. As one eye looks to Molina to see if he remains a Cardinal, the other looks at Herrera to see if he can be a strong catcher in his own right. This is leaving Knizner in a spot nobody wants to be in, and his fate will likely not be decided until Molina’s situation is settled.