Cardinals: Latest updates on rumored catching targets for St. Louis

Lots of competition for the best available catchers on the trade market

As St. Louis continues to explore the trade market as well, there have been a lot of teams interested in acquiring the same names that the Cardinals have been linked to. Teams like the Guardians, Astros, Red Sox, White Sox, and Rays are among the teams most often named, but other clubs are monitoring the market as well.

Oakland’s Sean Murphy is the name that is garnering the most interest, causing his price-tag to rise significantly among league insiders. The 28-year old is under team control through 2025 and is one of the best all-around catchers in baseball, so the Athletics will be asking for a haul to part with their star catcher. The club does have top prospect Shea Langeliers waiting in the wings, but they will not trade Murphy without bringing in as much value as possible.

While St. Louis still remains one of the top names attached to Murphy, the amount of competition they will be facing may cause them to bow if the price gets too high. Mozeliak has been adamant that they are exploring all options, so they will not overpay if there are other quality options available.

Looking to the Toronto catchers, Jon Morosi and others around the industry still expect the Blue Jays to deal one of their catchers over the off-season.

Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen are more likely to be dealt than Gabriel Moreno, with Blue Jays beat writer Kaitlyn McGrath being among the many linking Kirk and Jansen to the Cardinals. Outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson have been heavily linked in a deal with the Blue Jays as the club looks to revamp their outfield after the trade of Teoscar Hernandez.