Cardinals News: Dodgers sign former closer, Luis Robert, Willson Contreras switch

The St. Louis Cardinals have been in the news plenty this week, particularly pertaining to their All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado. Arenado is likely on the trade block this winter despite not requesting a trade, and he alone is generating plenty of interest this offseason.

However, there are several noteworthy bits of news beyond Nolan Arenado. One such tidbit relates to a former closer of the St. Louis Cardinals: Giovanny Gallegos.

Gallegos, acquired via trade with the New York Yankees way back in 2018, was the best reliever for the Cardinals from 2019 through 2022. He fell from grace in 2023 and 2024, though, and the Cardinals found it best to cut bait with him toward the end of the 2024 season.

Recently, Gio Gallegos has caught on with a league rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gallegos and the Dodgers agreed to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. Gallegos, 33, had an 18-20 record with a 3.38 ERA and 44 saves while with the Cardinals.

Nolan Arenado isn't the only trade candidate on the market this winter. With the Cardinals likely avoiding the free-agent market this winter, any acquisitions they make will likely be via trade. Given the team's desire to use 2025 as a "reset" year, John Mozeliak can get a little creative with his trades. While the Cardinals appear poised to trade away their players, they could make a sneaky acquisition.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Chicago White Sox are willing to listen to offers for their prize center fielder, Luis Robert Jr. Robert, 27, was once one of the best young players in baseball, but he's since fallen off. He played only 100 games last year, and he had a slash line of .224/.278/.379 slash line with 14 home runs and an OPS+ of 87. He struck out a ridiculous 141 times.

Robert is in the final year of his deal, and he's owed $15 million. He has club options for 2026 and 2027 worth $20 million and $27 million, respectively. According to one GM interviewed by Nightengale, the White Sox still have a "a really high price tag on him." John Mozeliak could get creative here and trade for Robert. If he has a down year, they can cut bait with him and wash their hands. A package built around center fielder Victor Scott II should suffice here.

Willson Contreras's move to first base opened up playing time for young catchers Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages at catcher. One benefit of moving Contreras off catcher would be the team's overall improvement defensively. Cardinal beat writer Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat discussed this concept in one of his recent pieces.

As a team, the Cardinals were the seventh-best team in regard to blocking, and they were in the middle of the pack with framing. Cardinals catchers, however, were among the worst in the league when it came to throwing runners out according to MLB's Baseball Savant. The hope is that this can be fixed in 2025.

Both Herrera and Pages were rated negatively at throwing out runners. Pages surpassed Contreras when it came to pop time, but Herrera was slightly slower. Where the Cardinals could see huge dividends would be in framing. Both Pages and Herrera were a full three points better than Contreras with framing according to Baseball Savant.

The transition to Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages behind the plate should help the Cardinal young pitchers re-adjust to a league without the Automatic Ball-Strike System that is present in the minors.