Last offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals entered the offseason with clear trade candidates in Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan. Plus, Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero were talked about as potential trade chips, but weren't moved until the deadline this past summer.

It was clear that the Cardinals were going to cut ties with veterans and everyone was on the table. Because the Cardinals already traded away most of their veterans, the club isn't in the same spot this winter. While the trade chips may not be as obvious, that doesn't mean there aren't any, though. For example, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed to the catcher spot as an area to watch.

"They also expect to field trade interest in their catching depth," Goold wrote. "The Cardinals have positioned rookie Leo Bernal as their starter behind the plate, opening the possibility of dealing Pedro Pages or seeing what others, like Jimmy Crooks, could net in return."

The Cardinals Should Trade A Catcher, Or Two

At the end of the day, this is exactly what the Cardinals should be doing. The catcher spot is an area of strength — and surplus — for the organization. Leo Bernal is the guy. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol made it clear already that Bernal is entering the 2027 season as the incumbent behind the plate for the organization after he thrived after his promotion to the big leagues. Bernal is the best defensive catcher in the Cardinals' system, plus he showed massive improvement offensively in 2026. In the majors, Bernal slashed .284/.333/.474 with an .807 OPS, five home runs and 21 RBIs in 24 games played.

Bernal is just 22 years old and the hype around him has been loud this offseason.

Pages has been with the Cardinals in the majors over the last three seasons, but he doesn't fit the organization in the long term, especially with Ivan Herrera on the team as well. With Bernal getting most of the looks behind the plate, the Cardinals could simply move Pages and be just fine with Herrera as the backup. Crooks has a bright future himself and years of control left, but with Bernal and Herrera in the majors and Rainiel Rodriguez down in the minors, Crooks doesn't have a pathway to significant playing time.

Crooks is 25 years old. There are plenty of teams out there that need catching help. The Cardinals should absolutely cash in now. If they wait and Crooks just sits in the minors, the price tag will certainly get lower and lower.

St. Louis is loaded behind the plate. The club doesn't have many obvious trade candidates at this point. If the Cardinals are going to trade anyone away this winter, it should be Pages and Crooks to start.