Who will be behind the plate for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026?
The most obvious option is Leo Bernal. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol insinuated that Bernal will enter Spring Training as the incumbent behind the plate. The job is Bernal's to lose. But what about behind him? That's when things get a bit more tricky. The Cardinals have Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera and they also have Jimmy Crooks down in the minors . Crooks is a top prospect in his own right, but he didn't get his bat going in 2026 in the majors.
You can't roll with all of them. Especially with Rainiel Rodriguez also down in the minors. That would make the idea of a trade make a lot of sense. And, on top of this, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that St. Louis will, in fact, explore deals involving Pages, Herrera and Crooks.
"The same can be said about trades involving catchers," Goold wrote. "The Cardinals will explore trades involving catchers Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera, and Jimmy Crooks in the coming months. That's going to be part of their winter ahead of the CBA. That doesn't necessarily mean they will pull off a trade, but expect them to at least engage in some discussions about those catchers. They'll want to see who is interested and what they can get in return."
Sep 22, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If the Cardinals are going to trade any of these three, Herrera would bring the most value back. He's 26 years old and is coming off his first All-Star nod. Plus, he has three seasons of control left. From a purely defensive standpoint, Herrera hasn't been great in the majors yet. But there's no denying the fact that his bat plays.
Crooks is just 25 years old and is under team control through the 2031 season. While he struggled offensively in the majors in 2026, he was great in Triple-A. He'd bring an intriguing return back. Not every team is as deep as St. Louis behind the plate. There absolutely could be a team that convinces itself that it could make Crooks an everyday big league backstop.
Pages wouldn't bring much back in the trade market. He's a solid backup and has done well defensively in working with the pitchers, but his bat hasn't been great in the majors.
Of the three, Herrera would bring the most value back right now. Crooks is the most intriguing project of the three.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Cardinals to Explore Trades Involving Three, Including Ivan Herrera .
