Cardinals News: Surprise rookie now listed among most likely players to be traded

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline just days away and the catching market at an all-time high, rumors have been swirling about almost all of the Cardinals catchers, but the name who is now reportedly most likely to be traded is rookie Jimmy Crooks.

For weeks, Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera have been the two names that rumors have flown around about, but with the asking price for Herrera being sky-high and the Cardinals valuing Pages' defensive abilities, The Athletic is reporting that Crooks is the catcher the Cardinals are most open to moving, for the right offer.

The Cardinals will still entertain offers for Herrera and Pages, as if the right offers come for those guys, Chaim Bloom will be open to getting the most value possible. But Crooks brings a lot of intriguing factors to the table for a team interested in a catcher, which is why it does make sense for him to be a top trade candidate at this deadline.

Jimmy Crooks could bring the Cardinals back a really nice trade return

With how hot the catching market is, Crooks' mix of youth, upside, and not even being arbitration eligible until 2029 all help him to be an attractive trade piece for the Cardinals to dangle.

The Cardinals are in no rush to move any of their catchers. If the right offer isn't there, they do not need to make a trade. But it also makes too much sense to listen on all of them, as it's a position the market is hot on right now and the Cardinals could get top value for one of their assets.

After slugging his way through Memphis early in the season, Crooks has had his fair share of struggles in St. Louis, slashing just .171/.261/.317 with three home runs in 92 plate appearances and striking out in 30.4% of his opportunities at the plate. Things have gotten a bit better in July, as he's posted a 97 wRC+ thanks to a .419 slugging percentage.

Long-term, Crooks projects to be a catcher with pop that can be an asset behind the plate. That's going to carry value for both contending teams and for teams looking toward the future, which means the Cardinals could have a robust market for Crooks, should they be interested in moving him.

Some of the contenders who are reportedly looking into catching help include the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, and Dodgers, with likely more clubs who would be in the mix for someone with a ton of control like Crooks.

He obviously wouldn't carry the same value as Herrera in a trade, but he would bring the Cardinals back more than Pages is expected to.

With top catching prospect Leonardo Bernal nearing his own MLB debut and one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Rainiel Rodriguez, already mashing at Double-A, it's fair to wonder what Crooks' future with the club would be anyway. I personally like him a lot as an option, but both for his future and for the Cardinals, it's worth exploring their options

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow