The Cardinals can't afford to share Lance Lynn's steadfast belief in Pedro Pagés

If early returns are any indication, the St. Louis Cardinals may have found their starting catcher for the long haul. Leo Bernal has stormed out of the gate since his promotion to the major leagues, delivering clutch hits, playing sound defense behind the plate and even etching his name into Cardinals record books. But while fans and those around the team have sung Bernal's praises, former Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn continues to carry the torch for Pedro Pagés.

On the "Cardinal Territory" podcast, Lynn praised Pagés' ability to work with pitchers as well as throw runners out on the bases, and despite Pagés' lackluster bat thus far in his career, Lynn believes there's no telling what kind of improvements he could make at the plate in future seasons. He pointed to newly inducted Cardinals Hall of Famer Yadier Molina as an example of a catcher who always had those defensive traits and intangibles but needed to grow into his offensive skill set.

Molina left a lasting legacy on the franchise and is an iconic piece of two championship squads, but the one negative effect that he indirectly left behind was the Cardinals' apparent expectation that every starting catcher become the next Molina. The 2023 fiasco with Willson Contreras behind the plate bore that out perfectly, and Lynn appears to be holding out hope that lightning can strike again with Pagés.

Since Lynn and Pagés played together in 2024, it's understandable that Lynn has a favorable opinion of his catcher, as he knows firsthand what working with Pagés is like. But Bernal seems to have a similarly sterling reputation among his pitchers, many of whom he worked with at the lower levels, and his 2025 minor league Gold Glove Award speaks volumes about his defense. The Cardinals appear to agree, as Bernal has taken on the lion's share of catching duties and left Pagés as a seldom-used reserve.

Lynn was correct in his statement of Molina needing a bit of time to discover his batting stroke, as it took until 2007 for him to crack an OPS over .700. Fair or not, though, Pagés doesn't hold the luxury of time that Molina had when he was ascending the minor league ladder. The Cardinals currently own a treasure trove of catching prospects, but in 2004, Molina's debut season, the cupboard on that front was bare, as Baseball America had no other catchers on the Cardinals top 30 that year. In 2003, the only other catcher on the list was Gabe Johnson, a bat-first backstop who landed at No. 16 in the rankings.

Taking Lance Lynn's advice on Pedro Pages would trap the Cardinals in old habits

In 2020, John Mozeliak learned a lesson. After seeing former Cardinals outfielder Randy Arozarena go ballistic in the postseason and earn the Rookie of the Year Award in the following season, the Cardinals' president of baseball operations appeared to vow never to let that happen again.

Unfortunately, as Cardinals fans are aware, Mozeliak course-corrected too far, remaining faithful that one-time top St. Louis prospect Dylan Carlson would rediscover his stroke from his rookie year and that Tyler O'Neill would repeat his 2021 season, where he received MVP votes. Instead, the players' value depreciated and they were eventually sold for pennies on the dollar.

If the Cardinals were to stubbornly stick with Pagés in the hope that he discovers another dimension to his game, they would be banking on an improbable turnaround in the vein of Molina and would also block their future talent from receiving needed reps behind the plate. Molina's iron-man status as a catcher saw multiple generations of catching talent potentially fall by the wayside, as they weren't given ample playing time, and there's no need for the Cardinals to repeat that song and dance with baseball now firmly in the post-workhorse-catcher era.

Lynn's belief that Pagés could become a strong two-way catcher is a noble thought and a signifier that Pagés knows how to call a game, but Bernal's prospect pedigree and higher ceiling should grant him another bite at the apple in lieu of Pagés. That's not even mentioning Rainiel Rodriguez, the potential jewel of the class, albeit one whom the Cardinals may consider moving to another position because of Bernal's superior defensive chops.

It's a tough time to be Pagés, who might have a longer leash with an organization that doesn't have catching talent growing on trees. But the Cardinals hold an army of promising young reinforcements who have proven their mettle at every stop so far, so standing firm with Pagés in hopes of a breakout when he's never wielded an especially threatening stick isn't the route that the Cardinals should traverse as they hope to return to contention within the next few seasons.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow