Patrick Bailey trade just changed the Cardinals’ catching market

In a surprising move, the Cleveland Guardians have acquired longtime Giants backstop Patrick Bailey. Rookie backstop Daniel Susac seemingly ostracized Bailey from his own position. 

In exchange, Cleveland is parting ways with pitching prospect Matt ‘Tugboat’ Wilkinson and the #29 pick in the upcoming MLB draft. 

Wilkinson is a left-handed strikeout machine. In 28.1 innings, he’s racked up 36 Ks and pitched to a 1.59 ERA at the Double-A level. When it comes to their additional draft stock, the Guardians picked up Ralphy Velasquez with the 23rd overall pick in 2023. He’s now slotted in as the team’s #4 overall prospect, and his debut is imminent. 

The Patrick Bailey deal directly impacts Cardinal catching stock

The Cardinals have a similar surplus in catchers as the Giants. Although Bailey ranks well above any backstop the Redbirds have as a defender, his offensive woes heavily dilute his value. 

Pedro Pages is the Cardinals' most premier defensive option at the MLB level. Unfortunately, the production in the box hasn’t quite kept pace with the glove. Pages is similar to Bailey in that regard, although he likely has a slightly lower value. 

The Bailey trade gives the Cardinals an idea of what Pages might be net as a trade chip. However, the Cardinals' best trade bait behind the dish might be in the minor leagues. 

The Cardinals have multiple minor league catchers who they could trade 

Leo Bernal (STL #5) and Jimmy Crooks (STL #7) have both accrued some serious value, albeit in completely different manners. 

Bernal is a defense-first backstop who puts together quality ABs. Crooks, on the other hand, is a masher who’s posted an OPS of 1.027 through his first 28 games. Being top-10 prospects, both of them have real value if they were to be made available to other teams. 

St. Louis is approaching a stick situation. If the catching pipeline is backed up, it could negate the Cardinals' efforts to give equal playing time to different candidates. 

If Bernal and Crooks aren’t going to get realistic shots in The Show, the Cardinals now vaguely know what the pricetag looks like. And with Bailey’s historically poor offense, it could get even higher for a Cardinal catching prospect or two. 

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