The Cardinals have spent the past year stripping things down, and that has opened the door for a new wave of young talent to matter in St. Louis. After dealing established names like Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado last offseason, the club kept pushing in the same direction at the trade deadline, moving veteran pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero on expiring contracts, along with Lars Nootbaar, to keep feeding the farm system.
That approach has given fans a longer look at the next group. Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt have already put themselves in the category of future building blocks, while others have had a tougher time making the same case. At catcher, though, the Cardinals may have more options than they know what to do with.
Iván Herrera remains a central piece, splitting time between catcher and designated hitter and making 52 starts behind the plate this year. Behind him, St.
Louis also has Pedro Pagés, Jimmy Crooks and No. 4 prospect Leo Bernal on the roster. That depth creates a clear choice for the organization: build around Bernal and look to move Crooks.
Bernal made his big league debut later in the season and gave the Cardinals a real glimpse of what he can be. In 24 games, the 22-year-old hit .284/.333/.474 with five home runs and 21 runs batted in. Add in his premier defense and elite arm strength, and he looks like the kind of catcher a team can shape a future around on both sides of the ball.
Crooks has gone in the opposite direction. The 25-year-old played in 52 games for St.
Louis this season and hit just .179/.255/.336 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He was sent down to Triple-A at the end of August, but there is still a market case to be made for him.
Crooks is under team control through the 2031 season and has shown well in Triple-A, which could make him appealing to a club looking for catching depth.
With Herrera, Bernal, Pagés and even top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez in the mix, the Cardinals have a crowded catcher pipeline. Bernal looks like the one worth keeping front and center, while Crooks has enough value to be turned into help elsewhere or used to strengthen the system even more.
In Other News...
Cardinals Linked To A Familiar Arm Who Could Steady This Rotation
The Cardinals are headed into free agency with a rotation that still leans young, which makes the idea of adding a proven starter easy to understand. One familiar name has already surfaced as a potential fit: Jack Flaherty, the former St. Louis right-hander who is now on the market again and carries both history with the club and the kind of experience a staff like this could use.
Flahertys appeal goes beyond nostalgia. He has already shown he can handle the expectations that come with pitching in St. Louis, and his recent work suggests he could still bring value as a stabilizing veteran in a group that needs one. For the Cardinals, the question is whether this is the right moment to bring back a pitcher they know well and whether the reunion would make as much sense for the rotation as it might for the player himself. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Found A Busch Stadium Edge Fans Havent Seen In Years
A summer crowd at Busch Stadium found a new spark in 2026, and it started with a few shirtless members of the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team trying to light up the park. Their impulsive show of support came at just the right moment, right as Yohel Pozo delivered a walk-off single in extra innings, and suddenly a game-day quirk had turned into something bigger for a fan base that had been waiting for a jolt.
From there, the idea took on a life of its own. Manager Oliver Marmol helped push it along by distributing free tickets to encourage participation, and the Cardinals even carved out an official Tarps Off section at the stadium. What began as a one-night burst of energy has become one of the more visible signs that Busch Stadium has rediscovered a little edge, though how far the movement can carry remains part of the appeal. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Have A Postseason Choice Shaped By Old Grudges
When the postseason picture starts to take shape, Cardinals fans are left doing a familiar bit of baseball sorting: figuring out who, if anyone, is worth rooting for once St. Louis is out of the mix. The usual choices are complicated by old grudges and fresh annoyances, with a handful of clubs drawing attention for different reasons, from long-running rivalries to recent relevance on the national stage.
The Dodgers, Brewers, Yankees and Braves all come with built-in baggage for a St. Louis audience, while teams like the Padres, Guardians, Rays, White Sox and even the Angels offer different levels of neutrality depending on how much history a fan is willing to overlook. It is less about finding a perfect fit than deciding which dislike can be lived with for a few October weeks, and for Cardinals fans that kind of postseason math is part of the fun. [Read more 🡒]