Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Will A Catcher Will Be TRADED?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The St. Louis Cardinals had not one, but two of their catchers mentioned on positive lists for 2026. Why these two names should be major pieces for this team moving forward. This is Locked on Cardinals. You are Locked on Cardinals. Your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Hafer, a former national radio sports anchor born and raised in St. Louis and a lifetime Cardinals fan. and welcome to another episode of Locktown Cardinals,

Starting point is 00:00:37 part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. Thank you to our everydayers for getting us there. For those of you who are new, welcome in. Hope you enjoy the content. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving you all the info about the birds on the bat. Today's episode brought to you by Fandall.

Starting point is 00:00:51 If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit Fandwell.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. On today's show, another possible target for the Cardinals' rotation was scooped up by another team. the latest on the other teams in the division, what they've been doing, what pieces have they added recently. But we're going to start today talking about the Cardinals catching core that continues to garner positive attention around the league. And I know that, you know, when we talk about the Cardinals, a lot of negative stuff going on right now. People are upset. People are bummed

Starting point is 00:01:28 about the direction they're going in, completely understandable. But the catching situation is actually something that's actually in a really good spot right now. I know my everydayers already know this, but the Cardinals have this great group of young catchers in the system. From the top at the major league level, you can start with Ivan Herrera. It was still technically a catcher for how long we shall see. But he's trying it again this year. Pedro Pahez, Joe Al Pozo, also available for the major league roster. Herrera is 25 years old. We learned last year that the bat can absolutely play at the major league level. He's going to be counted on to be one of the big sluggers for this team in the middle of that order. Everything else on the defensive side, throwing side seems to be a

Starting point is 00:02:14 work in progress. He had that elbow surgery that soft seems to remove those loose bodies that were in there. So we'll see how that affected his throwing and see if he improves at everything else behind the plate. I keep pushing to to move him someplace else like first base or or one of the corner outfield positions if you need to. Pretty good athlete. We saw him play a little bit of left field this year. I would rather see him at first base. They don't need him to be a catcher because of the depth that they have. But we'll see how it all shakes out this spring. They kind of promise him, hey, we're going to give you another chance, another crack at this. And we'll see what happens. Pahas is 27 years old. Is the more defensive minded of the group. There's

Starting point is 00:02:58 Pozo, who is the old man, the grizzly veteran of the group at 28 years old, became a fan favorite last year with his clutch ability, he had that infectious attitude and the smile, showed an act for pinch hitting, bad at 286 at that massive home runoff the Cubs, had seven RBIs as a pinch hitter, did sign a major league contract, but it's a split deal that pays differently when he's on the big club or at Memphis,

Starting point is 00:03:22 but there's no, like, guarantee that he has to be up at the major league roster this year. So, you know, a little bit of flexibility there. And then it drops down to 24-year-old catcher Jimmy Crooks, who has been among their top 30 prospects for the last couple of years. 2024, Cardinals minor league player of the year. It's pretty good. Texas League MVP is pretty good. Postseason All-Star.

Starting point is 00:03:47 He was also a Midwest League All-Star back in 2023, made his major league debut this past season. Currently, their number six prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. but the new 2026 rankings, they haven't come out yet. So we'll see what kind of updates go there. Behind them, as far as prospects go, you have the 21-year-old Leonardo Bernal, who was the 2025 Minor League Gold Glob Award winner.

Starting point is 00:04:10 And again, if you are not aware, they don't do that for each level. There's not like a winner at A ball, AA, AAA, AAA. Like, when you win, it's for all of the minor leagues. So voted the Gold Glove winner at Catcher for the entire minor league system. part of that thanks to the ability to throw out runners, 39.1% of base dealers. He's gunned down this year, which is pretty good.

Starting point is 00:04:34 Bernal is in the top five of Cardinals' prospects, sliding in at number four. And then you've got the 18-year-old, Raniel Rodriguez. Radio Rodriguez. I have said his name so many different ways. Eventually, we're going to figure out what the right one is. I've heard Rayneal, I've heard Roniel, Raniel. Either way, Raniel Rodriguez is how I choose to say it. going to be 19 January the 4th, but he's a teenager that they signed out of the DR,

Starting point is 00:05:01 Dominican Republic, back in 2024. He's done nothing but impressed ever since. He reached high AP oria last season and is currently ranked as the Cardinals number three prospect behind first round picks Liam Doyle and JJ Weatherhole. So that's a heck of a stable of young catchers, which has led some to believe that perhaps they might trade one of these guys away to go net some depth at a different position that they might need help with. Who would that be? I have no idea. I have no idea. I would love your thoughts on that. If you think they should deal from the catching depth that they have, who would you move on from? But there hasn't been a whole lot of chatter about any of them leaving recently. However, two of them were recently named on lists that were of the positive sort, which is good. One was as the Cardinals top bounce back candidate. And another was recognized as the Cardinals breakout prospect of the year.

Starting point is 00:05:56 So we're going to start with the bounce back guy. And that award, or at least that list that he was on, that actually went to Jimmy Crux. Now, I was a little confused by Crooks being on this list because he only had 46 played appearances last year at the major league level. And although his stance were underwhelming, hit just 133 with 17 strikeouts, that's an extremely small sample size. It's not like he was on the team for half a season and hit 133. and you need him to do more next year. I mean, he was only up for 15 games. So when I think bounce back,

Starting point is 00:06:33 I think about a guy who was around most of the year. And the Cardinals have no shortage of guys who need to bounce back for 2026. You could go Nolan Arnato because he's still on the roster, Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Lars Neupar, Victor Scott. Those are the position player guys, just off top of my head that could use a bounce back season. So having a rookie who only appeared in 15 games this year, that seems like a bit silly.

Starting point is 00:06:59 But that's who the article went with. And this was at MLB.com. So John Denton was the one chiming in on this. Here's what Denton had to say about Jimmy Crooks. As is often the case with highly tout of rookies who get promoted to the big leagues in the middle of the season, Crooks, the card's number six ranked prospect, struggled mightily in 15 MLB games in 25.

Starting point is 00:07:19 However, the Cardinals love his poise, combined with his exceptional defensive skills, in 15 games crooks went just six for 45, which is a 133 average. And his first Emil B hit was a home run on August 31st. That was in Cincinnati, if I remember correctly. He showed off a big time arm in the minor leagues, and he impressed the Cardinals with his command of scouting reports and handling pitchers. The strong belief among the coaching staff is that he can be the club's everyday catcher.

Starting point is 00:07:45 And that's great news. That's great news. That's what you want to hear about one of your top 10 prospects. But if you got Herrera and you get, got Pahas already there. Where does Jimmy Crooks fit into this? Either Herrera is going to be deaching or playing another position. And then Pahez, I think, is got to be the backup. Like, I feel like you'd want the offensive side of crooks, unless you're facing a left-hander, then you go with one of the righties. So it's something they're going to have to figure out. But I can

Starting point is 00:08:16 see how it would work if we're platooning. It's not putting too much on everybody's plate. You know, we're not asking them to be Yadda or Molina and catch 158 games this year. Like they'll be able to platoon things around and get some guys some rest. And hopefully, you know, get some reps in at DH, maybe at first base, like I mentioned, for Herrera. You know, we saw Pahas play a little bit of second base when they were in a pinch this past year. So I'm sure he could move around and play some other positions if you needed him to, not saying that's something they should be doing. But anyway, Herrera Pahez from the right side, crooks from the left. I could see how it worked. Carrying three catchers isn't usually the norm. I know we've had the Cardinals do it a couple times in the last few seasons.

Starting point is 00:08:59 Not something that most teams usually do, but I suppose it's something that could happen to start the season if these guys are able to be used in other roles and then you kind of make them kind of a utility guy in a way. So especially if Herrera's throwing ability has it improved dramatically, which is where there was a lot of problems. So your thoughts on that? What do you think the combination should? should be. Who do you think should be traded? Who should be on the opening day roster? Would you carry three catchers? Questions for you? So let me know in the comment section. We can discuss that. Up next. We're going to talk about who was named the Cardinals a breakout prospect. It was another one of the catchers. Who was the breakout prospect for the Cardinals? That's coming up next on Locked Cardinals. NFL Sundays move fast, one big play, and suddenly everything just feels different. That's what

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Starting point is 00:10:31 You got Monday night football tonight. Rams and Falcons, Matthew Stafford in the MVP conversations, Pooka Nakua, lighten up scoreboards along with four solid running backs, two for both teams, Kavern Williams, Blake Korn for L.A. over in Atlanta, it's Bejan Robinson, Tyler, Algier, all of them, solid, solid running backs. So plenty of things to look at for tonight's Monday night football game. So if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, just visit fandall.com and place your NFL live vets all season long. Fandall, the game moves fast and so can you. Thanks for making it locked on Cardinals, your first listen of the day.

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Starting point is 00:11:34 So with Jimmy Crooks off the table as the bounce back guy, after 15 games, come on, dude, you got to be better. Well, we expect him to be better than what we saw there. But that leaves two of the other Cardinals catchers to be the breakout prospect. And both are worthy of this title, but the one that they listed was Ronnie O'R Rodriguez, who is not only the Cardinals number three prospect, but number 55 overall, according to MLB pipeline and the number six overall catching prospect. According to MLB pipeline, right up on Rodriguez said this.

Starting point is 00:12:06 He was certainly great in 2024 with a 683 slugging percentage and a 1.145 OPS, but improving he can carry his trademark power to not only state side ball, but also single A. He jumped into the top 100, set himself up for further leaps in future rankings. Dating back to 2006, Rodriguez is one of only three age 18 catchers with a WRC plus. above 140, over 250 plate appearances or more. Samuel Basalo and Jesus Montero are the others. That's it.

Starting point is 00:12:40 Very short list. His 20 home runs on the season were tied for seventh, most among all minor league backstops this season. And we're talking about a kid who just started his pro career, 18 this past year. Again, he's going to be 19 in a few days, but still, teenager. He's a teenager.

Starting point is 00:12:57 And power is something that obviously craved by every major league team. You love to have guys who can just put the ball over the wall, put you up on the board with one swing of the bat. The cardinals are no different. And boy, oh boy, do they have room to grow when it comes to the power category? It's 29th in baseball and team home runs ahead of only the pirates. Now, do you have to be a power slugging team all the time to win? Not necessarily. We saw what happened in the 80s.

Starting point is 00:13:27 wide ball. We know it can be that way as well. The Royals not too long ago won a World Series without hitting a lot of home runs. But this Cardinals team does not have the speed of those 80s teams to make up for their lack of slugging and their lack of pop. So it's a different ballgame, right? So they need more. They need to have somebody who's a threat at the place. We think about Herrera's got that capability. It looks like he's got 30 home run power. We believe Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker,

Starting point is 00:14:05 if they could ever put it together, also have 25 to 30 home run power. We believe that. When you look into the minor leagues of the Carpice, last season, the Memphis Redbird's home run leader was Jimmy Crux, tied with Matt Caperniac with 14 home runs. That's it. At AA Springfield,

Starting point is 00:14:26 You have Joshua Baez, which is kind of like the Cardinals Internet darling right now. Everybody's kind of excited about what they got for Baez because of the speed, the power, the physique, the physique. Like he just looks like a stud, right? 16 home runs for AA Springfield. He did hit 20 total for the season. And at Peoria, you had three guys tied with eight. Then at Palm Beach, you had Rodriguez with 13, 20 total on the season after slugging seven in the Florida Complex League. So as far as 20 home run hitters in the entire Cardinals organization last year,

Starting point is 00:14:59 major leagues and minors, you had Wilson Catreras, Joshua Baez, and then Renio Rodriguez. That's it. That's it. Those are the ones who hit 20 home runs in the Cardinals organization this past season. So they need somebody to be those guys and to have a guy, and I'm not taking anything away from Joshua Baez, but to get pop like that from a premium position like catcher, which isn't easy to do. Quite a bonus, quite a bonus.

Starting point is 00:15:33 And when you see this kid, he just looks like he mashes. Like he's got, when I saw Ivan Herrera coming up through the minor leagues, and then we got our first glimpses of him at the major league level, he just looks like he's going to do damage. There's certain guys that just, you're like, whoa, Look at this guy.

Starting point is 00:15:52 This guy looks like he can really hit the ball well. Just something about him. I feel the same way about Rodriguez. When I first laid eyes on him, I'm like, whoa. He's got the big lower half that you like out of your catchers, but he just takes an amazing hack at the ball. Like, it looks like he's there to pop the seams off the ball. Like that's what he was born for.

Starting point is 00:16:19 It was just to crush baseballs. And I know he's a few years away from making an impact on the major league roster. I know. But I'm very excited to see what he brings to the table next year to see his progression now that the Cardinals have updated their minor leagues. And they've got more instruction for catchers and for hitters. Like I'm excited to see what he can do. I assume he'll start at Peoria since that's where he ended his season last year. So if you're a Cardinal fan in Peoria, Illinois, shout out to all of you there.

Starting point is 00:16:49 I used to work there. So I'm very familiar with Peoria, Illinois. Be sure to get down to Dozer Park and check him out while he's still there because I don't know how long he's going to be there. But I would assume he starts the season there. But I'm very curious from you guys, once again, if you had to trade away any of these catchers, just pick one. Which one would you trade away?

Starting point is 00:17:09 Not counting Pozo. Don't count Pozo. Who would you be looking to move? You know, pitchers love throwing a pahas. kind of don't want to take him away, do you? But then Herrera has the biggest offensive upside. Crooks is young, gives you a bit of the best of both worlds. And then you've got the two blue chip prospects in Bernal and Rodriguez.

Starting point is 00:17:33 Now, they don't have to trade any of these dudes. But who do you send packing? Like, just for fun, who would you send packing for depth at a different spot? Let me know in the comments below or on X, and we can talk about that. Up next, some news and notes from around the league, including one veteran pitcher who we just talked about in a recent episode, who is now off the market. This is Locked on Cardinals. Once again, thank you for making Locked on Cardinals, your first listen of the day. Thank you for making Lockdown on the number one sports podcast network.

Starting point is 00:18:12 Now, last week we talked about veterans starting pitchers that would seemingly fit what the Cardinals are looking for to add to what they've already built with this rotation already this year. The name that we brought up that was brought up from other riders was Zach Gafflin. And we debated whether he was the right fit or not, mostly because of the injury history that he's had, you know, and went through a lot of them last year. And now it doesn't really matter. If you like the Zach Gelflin move and bringing him to St. Louis, it doesn't matter. Bad news. He has re-signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a one-year $10 million deal with the mutual option for 2020. 37, 31 years old, that three stents on the aisle due to a couple of different things.

Starting point is 00:18:59 Lat strain was one. The low back discomfort was the other. Ended up having to go under the knife, lumbar microdicectomy surgery in August, which makes his availability for the start of the season kind of questionable. We don't know how he's going to respond to that. When we talked about it in our recent episode, most of the responses were the same as me and felt the same way. We were kind of on the same page here where I don't really want another injury riddled dude

Starting point is 00:19:31 joining the group the Cardinals already have. You've added some depth in the minors. You got three guys to compete for spots in the rotation for 2026. But May, Fitz, and Dobbins all dealt with injuries last season. So someone more reliable would be, deal in my eyes. I keep coming back to Jose Cantana, veteran, left-hander, not arm trouble the last couple seasons. Like, he's been here before. You're familiar with him. Ali knows him. The pitching, you know, the pitching coordinators and Dusty Blake and everybody, they all know

Starting point is 00:20:11 him. Everybody's familiar with him. He's not going to be overly priced. He seems to make a lot sense to me. But he's still out there too. He has not been signed. Elsewhere around the NL Central, the Reds have acquired two new outfielders, both former Marlins, ironically. They signed former number four overall picked by Miami in 2019. J.J. Bladay to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million, which is basically peanuts these days. And, you know, before you get your boxers in a bunch about this and be like, all, the Cardinals looking at that guy, first of all, he left-handed, but just is, something the Cardinals absolutely do not need is another left-handed outfielder.

Starting point is 00:20:52 And last year, he wasn't really that good. He hit 212, OPS plus of 92, despite playing in that minor league stadium with the ace, where the ball just flies. 2024, he was pretty good. In fact, he was better than pretty good. 20 home runs, OPS plus of 120. But last year, drastic drop-off. So that's somebody they're going to be working with.

Starting point is 00:21:17 the other outfielder that the Reds acquired. They did that via trade with the Marlins was Dane Myers, 29 years old, hit just 235 OPS plus of 71 last season. He is right-handed. He can play all three outfield spots, solid defender rated in the 90th percentile in arm strength by stat cast. Clearly that's them looking for a defensive replacement

Starting point is 00:21:39 for one of their left-handed guys late in games. I just find it a little amusing that, after, you know, the Reds and their fans were all excited about, swirber, swirmer, we're going to get it. And now you're settling for a platoon guys like J.J. Bladay and Day Myers. Now there has been some rumblings that Luis Robert from the White Sox could be a target of the Reds and could be available via trade. I don't know what the asking price for Luis Robert is anymore.

Starting point is 00:22:10 A couple years ago, it was super expensive when he was coming off that monster year. Hasn't had a whole lot of success in Chicago the last couple of year. is still going to make, I think, 20 million this year and next year, maybe. I'm not totally sure on the contract stuff, but I don't know. That's something else that's been kicked around that I've seen rumors about. Meanwhile, the pirates have had a very good offseason. They also dabbled in the Schwerber talk for a little bit, which we kind of felt was nonsense. At least I did.

Starting point is 00:22:36 But they continue to make moves, which I've been impressed with. They got Ryan O'Hern, who had an all-star season last year, traded for Brandon Lowe, Jacob Mangum and Mason Montgomery with the Tampa Bay raise. Lau obviously has been very good over the last few years, playing at second base. Mangum had a breakout year last year, 29, I think. Switch hitter, good speed. I thought he was somebody that the Cardinal should go after. I just kind of like his game as a utility guy for your outfield, but he ends up going

Starting point is 00:23:06 to Pittsburgh. So those are some nice moves for them. Cubs added another reliever. They keep redoing this whole bullpen thing, more arms at the problem. Hunter Harvey has been added to the mix. Had injury-irilled season last year with the Royals, who's with the Nationals before that. But I remember being impressed with him when he was healthy when he was with Washington.

Starting point is 00:23:25 So we'll see if that ends up helping the Cubs out at all. They're also reportedly in on the Alex Bregman situation, along with the Red Sox, the Tigers, the Blue Jays, and the Diamondbacks. So all of that, E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. E. H. Nual Suarez hasn't signed anywhere yet. So we're still waiting on that stuff to all go down so that we can get some movement on Nolan Aronado, although some fans have started to just believe that he's going to be back in a Cardinal uniform next year, which would be amazing that for two straight off seasons, they've tried to trade this man and they can't get rid of them. That would be shocking to me if it can't happen again this year. So I still think something's going to get done eventually, but we're playing the waiting game.

Starting point is 00:24:02 We're waiting on the third base market to form a little bit. Meanwhile, the brewers have done very little. They did make a trade with the Royals. They sent Isaac Collins, who was a nice player for them last year and Nick Mears, two Kansas City. for Anhele Serpa, the heart throwing lefty, 84th percentile of fastball velo at 96.5, and in the 99th percentile of ground ball percentage at 63.7 was reliever, although I read that, you know, they haven't ruled out that maybe, maybe he starts. We're not totally sure what we want to do yet.

Starting point is 00:24:30 Brewers usually make some good decisions with their pitching staff and their players. So whatever they decide to do with Anhele Serpa, I'm sure it's going to work out because what the brewers do. So anyway, there's a look at the NL. Central. Thanks for making Lockedone Cardinals, your first listen every day. Now, if you haven't already, give us follow on X at L0 underscore Cardinals and a JD Sports Radio, TikTok, Instagram, Lockdown Cardinals, like, subscribe on YouTube, help our channel and love for the Cardinals grow. For those of you who are on the video portion of this, we send you to the first ever 24-7

Starting point is 00:25:00 national locked-on podcast, which is always super cool, 24-7 style on the YouTube channel. And then on audio, make sure your second listen is Locked on MLB. You're the best fans in baseball for a reason. and we'll see you next time on Lockstone Cardinals.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Will A Catcher Will Be TRADED?

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