3 Trade Targets at Catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals need to find ways to improve the club’s offensive production at catcher. Here are three realistic targets for St. Louis.

Since the 2004 season, the St. Louis Cardinals have penciled in future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina in at the catcher almost every day. The question facing the club each season was who could fill in when Molina needed a day off, but the starting spot was never in question.

Now with a steep decline in performance and a clear need to play less than ever before for his own health, Molina cannot be relied on as the traditional, primary catcher he once was.

St. Louis has struggled to find an internal option to take the pressure off of Molina this season. Backup Andrew Knizner started off hot but has fallen off dramatically, prospect Ivan Herrera appears to still be a year away after his short stints in St. Louis, and veteran Austin Romine is not a viable option for a contending team.

The Cardinals offense has been the bright spot for the club in 2022, but the catcher position has weighed the club down significantly at the plate, even when Molina plays. The club ranks 28th in baseball in OPS from the catcher position. sitting at .510. Molina has the highest BA of the bunch, sitting at .213. This will not cut it if the team wants to make a run in October.

If Molina can be relied upon in a spilt role with another catcher, the team should expect greater production all round from behind the plate. The club seriously needs to consider adding a catcher at the deadline, and here are three options that would be great adds for the club.

Danny Jansen

Serving as the backup for All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk, catcher Danny Jansen could be an expendable piece for Toronto, and the Cardinals should take advantage of his underutilized talent.

Jansen has been hitting .258 with 7 HR and 13 RBI in 21 games in 2022. The eye popping number for the 27 year old is his .922 OPS, which even with a bit of regression, would be a dramatic improvement for St. Louis.

The Blue Jays also have top prospect Gabriel Moreno ready to get big league at bats, meaning Jansen does not have much of a future at the club. The Blue Jays will look to be aggressive at the deadline, so would likely be open to swapping their surplus catcher to replenish their farm system or gain big league talent at other positions.  The appeal of Jansen may also come in that price point, as he should not be nearly as expensive as other players on the market.

Jasen would provide the Cardinals with a powerful bat from the catcher position, and would be huge for the bottom of the order down the stretch. Having a player behind the plate with the ability to drive in runs is a net positive not only for the catcher position, but should help the rest of the order as well.

Max Stassi

The Los Angeles Angels have followed up their hot start to 2022 by going ice cold this summer, falling out of being a legit playoff contender and now look to be sellers as teams approach the deadline. Catcher Max Stassi is a name that could be up for grabs among contenders.

Stassi has not been elite by any means at the plate this season, slashing just .208/.313/.328 with 5 HR and 16 RBI in 57 games this season, but that .641 OPS would be an improvement from the current Cardinal catchers.

Stassi has proven to be a great hitter over the last few seasons, having an OPS of .886 and .752 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Stassi may regain some of that form in a Cardinal uniform, but even if he just maintains his play, would be a welcomed upgrade on the roster.

The Angels are in desperate need for a boost to their farm system, and since Stassi is making $7 million in 2023 and 2024, he will likely not cost a ton in terms of prospect value.

Stassi, like the other names on this list, is controllable, albeit on a larger dollar amount, making the decision to add him a win for the 2022 Cardinals and future seasons.