Sneaky trade piece could streamline Cardinals' transition

The St. Louis Cardinals rode a fantastic May into playoff contention, which altered fan expectations from a transitioning team to a legitimate contender. A bumpy start to June, however, has put that talk on hold as the Cardinals have to consider which direction to take.

While there is not much of a chance for a total rebuild, a potential sell-off of expiring contracts and depth pieces could provide the Cardinals with future value without hurting the young core that is currently in place. Names like Erick Fedde, Steven Matz, and Ryan Helsley continue to be floated around, but one option that has not been discussed could help clear up even more opportunities.

Trading Pedro Pages could open up opportunities to find the Cardinals catcher of the future

As far as I know, there have not been any talks regarding the Cardinals' interest in trading the catcher, or if any teams around the league have checked in. Pages, though, has shown his ability to handle a pitching staff and has performed well enough at the plate that he can be a lower-tier starting catcher. Since there is not much further projection beyond his current performance, Pages probably would not be of interest to a rebuilding team, so I looked at contending teams who would benefit by having Pages fill at least a backup catcher role. In no particular order, Pages could compete for playing time with the Giants, Tigers, Guardians, Twins, and Padres, who all have varying levels of difficulties at the catching position. His trade value is probably not high enough to receive any franchise-altering players, but he could receive a capable bullpen arm or an older starting prospect who the Cardinals could hope to strike gold with.

Who would fill the starting catcher role then? There are a couple of different options. The most obvious would be to throw Ivan Herrera back there every day to show if he can handle the position defensively. While he currently receives a start or two a week behind the plate, it is clear the Cardinals would rather have him focus on continuing his breakout offensive season as a designated hitter. In 13 games as a catcher this season, he has allowed 12 stolen bases without throwing any runners out. However, Herrera's offense has shown enough flashes that any value he can provide defensively would just be icing on the cake and not a priority.

For that reason, an under-the-radar option would be to promote the team's top catching prospect in Jimmy Crooks. An extended runway for Crooks would allow the Cardinals to sort through their catching depth as lower-level catchers Leonardo Bernal and Rainiel Rodriguez continue to mash. Crooks just missed out on top prospect recognition prior to the season, but is a generally well-regarded player who can handle the position. As the starting catcher in Memphis this season, the switch-hitter is batting .255 with nine homers, almost to his career high of 12 he set in 115 games in 2023. Defensively, Crooks has thrown out 24% of baserunners after throwing out 33% last season.

If Crooks were pushed to the majors, each of Bernal and Rodriguez could get moved up a level to continue an aggressive move up the ladder. John Mozeliak recently spoke of the catching position in a Q&A, while specifically mentioning Rodriguez as an exciting prospect. With each of these three players receiving a half season at the next level, the Cardinals could begin sorting through their position of depth and potentially make other deals to shore up other holes on the roster. The risk of trading Pages is low in terms of the catcher taking off in another organization, so if there is interest in the backstop around the league, the Cardinals should at least entertain some offers.