The Cardinals have a catcher problem, but it doesn’t look like the one Lance Lynn wants them to have.
Leo Bernal has wasted no time making his case since reaching the majors. He’s come through with timely hits, handled himself well defensively and already put his name in the Cardinals record books.
Around the team, and among fans, the buzz has grown quickly. Yet Lynn is still carrying the flag for Pedro Pagés.
Speaking on the "Cardinal Territory" podcast, Lynn praised Pagés for the way he handles pitchers and controls the running game. He also said Pagés’ bat doesn’t have to stay where it is now, pointing to newly inducted Cardinals Hall of Famer Yadier Molina as the model. Molina, Lynn noted, had the defensive traits and the presence early, then developed more at the plate later.
Lance Lynn says Pedro Pagés has all the tools to be an elite two-way catcher.
The only question is whether he'll get the chance to prove it. pic.twitter.com/2yOAqWwrNL
- Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) September 18, 2026
That comparison comes with baggage. Molina became an iconic figure in St.
Louis and helped define two championship teams, but his long shadow also left the Cardinals with a habit they can’t seem to shake: expecting every catcher to become the next Molina. The 2023 situation with Willson Contreras behind the plate showed how messy that can get, and Lynn seems to believe Pagés could still follow that same path.
There’s logic to Lynn’s stance. He caught with Pagés in 2024, so his opinion is rooted in firsthand experience.
But the Cardinals have another catcher making a loud case of his own. Bernal has impressed pitchers throughout the organization, including at the lower levels, and his 2025 minor league Gold Glove Award underscores the reputation he built on defense.
St. Louis has acted accordingly, giving Bernal most of the catching work and leaving Pagés in a limited reserve role.
The offensive question is where the debate gets tricky. Lynn was right that Molina needed time to find his swing; it wasn’t until 2007 that he posted an OPS above .700.
But Pagés does not have the same runway Molina once did. Back then, the Cardinals’ catching pipeline was thin.
In 2004, Baseball America had no other Cardinals catchers in its top 30. In 2003, the only other catcher on the list was Gabe Johnson, a bat-first backstop who checked in at No.
That’s not the case now. The Cardinals have more catching talent in the system, and that changes the equation.
The bigger lesson for St. Louis is that clinging to Pagés in hopes of a late offensive breakout could pull the organization back into old habits.
John Mozeliak already learned a hard lesson in 2020 after Randy Arozarena erupted in the postseason and then won Rookie of the Year the next season. The Cardinals’ president of baseball operations seemed determined not to let another player get away too soon.
Instead, the club swung too far the other way, staying committed to Dylan Carlson and Tyler O'Neill long after the returns stopped matching the belief. Both players lost value and were eventually moved for far less than their peak value.
That’s the cautionary tale here. Betting on Pagés to turn into a Molina-style outlier would mean ignoring the stronger option in Bernal and, just as important, taking away needed reps from the organization’s next wave of catchers.
Molina’s durability was a blessing for the Cardinals, but it also meant other catching prospects across multiple eras didn’t get enough runway. There’s no reason to repeat that pattern in a game that has moved past the workhorse-catcher era.
Lynn’s view of Pagés is understandable, and it says something about Pagés’ ability to run a staff. But Bernal’s prospect status and higher ceiling should keep him in the lead. Rainiel Rodriguez is part of that conversation too, even if the Cardinals may eventually look at moving him elsewhere because Bernal’s defense stands out more.
Pagés may deserve more patience in a different organization, one that isn’t stocked with catching options. The Cardinals aren’t in that position. They have young players who have already shown they can handle the job, and with contention in their sights over the next few seasons, the safer move is to keep giving those reps to the players most likely to matter.
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