Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis to consider catching upgrades via trade

Without Yadier Molina, the St. Louis Cardinals are now forced to consider catching upgrades via trade, according to John Mozeliak.

It has been almost a month since Yadier Molina was placed on the Injured List and as the future Hall of Fame catcher rehabs in Puerto Rico, there have been no indications that he is any closer to coming back for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Which puts the Cardinals’ catching position in a precarious position – and because of it, the team intends to explore offensive catching upgrades ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters, including The Athletic.

Molina’s absence has been noticeable – the Cardinals have struggled seemingly since he was placed on the IL – and are adamant that they want their catcher back. Mozeliak has made it clear. Manager Oli Marmol has made it clear. Adam Wainwright has made it clear. They have all made it clear. But with constant knee pain, the Cardinals won’t be able to rely on him in a full capacity like they have for almost two decades, and another catching option makes sense.

Just look at what the Cubs have done with Willson Contreras. Despite having the All-Star behind the plate, they signed Yan Gomes to a two-year deal in hopes of keeping Contreras fresh. The result has been Contreras having the best season of his career. It’s unfair to expect Molina to have similar type of production at this stage of his career, but a veteran backup that’s an upgrade over Andrew Knizner would take a lot of pressure off Molina and thus could result in better production.

One problem, however, is that the options on the trade market are relatively thin. Christian Bethancourt was traded by the Oakland A’s on Saturday. They also have Sean Murphy, but have shown no inclination to trade him in the past, and it’s reasonable to expect the same at this year’s trade deadline as well.

There will be options available, of course. But finding a capable No. 2 behind Molina could prove easier said than done.