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Pedro Pagés Might Be Cardinals Best Trade Chip, But Can They Afford to Deal Him?
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- Pedro Pagés Might Be Cardinals Best Trade Chip, But Can They Afford to Deal Him?
Roundtable Sports' John Denton wonders if Pedro Pagés might be the Cardinals ' most coveted trade chip because of the need for catching and his strong arm behind the plate.
Loved by teammates for his peppy personality, respected bythe pitching staff because of his tireless prep work and his ability to controlthe running game, but often jeered by fans who deride him for the lack of popin his bat, Pedro Pagés presents an interesting case study for the Cardinals atthe MLB Trade Deadline.
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Pagés could be one of the Cardinals on the move before theAug. 3 MLB Trade Deadline because of the numerous teams in need of solidcatching down the stretch. The Dodgers, Yankees , Red Sox , Rays , White Sox and Rangersare in need in catching and the Cardinals – a team with a glut of catchers atthe MLB level and in their Minor League system – could be a fit as a tradepartner.
Pages, 27, is a career .227 hitter with 22 long balls overthree seasons, but what could potentially make him attractive to playoff-boundteams is his ability to control the running game. Despite being a part-timecatcher most of this season after rookie Jimmy Crooks was elevated fromTriple-A Memphis, Pagés is tied for the MLB lead in baserunners caught stealing(14) with Orioles' standout backstop Adley Rutschman .
Arm Strength (81.3 mph) and average pop time (1.91 seconds)rank near the middle of the league, but Pagés has been able to throw out 34percent of all base stealers this season with smooth transitions, good footworkand accurate throws. Pagés' caught-stealing percentage is easily better thanthe MLB average of 29 percent, making him especially appealing to teams withWorld Series aspirations.
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The Cardinals fell below .500 for the first time all season on Tuesday night when they lost 10-2 to the rival Cubs . A feel-good surprise most of the season, the Cards have dropped 15 of their last 21 games and nine of 12 since the break for the MLB All-Star Game to fall out of the chase for a Wild Card slot. They host the Cubs again at 6:45 p.m. CT.
How Are Cards Prospects Acquired at 2025 MLB Trade Deadline Faring in 2026?
With the Cardinals playing in a division with Elly De LaCruz, Pete Crow Armstrong and Oneil Cruz , can they afford to trade away Pagésconsidering the troubles that Ivan Herrera and Crooks have had throwing outbase stealers this season? Herrera hasn't thrown out a runner in 21 tries thisseason and his last caught stealing came in September of 2024 when Juan Soto was still a Yankee and he got mowed down while trying to swipe second againstthe Cardinals All-Star DH/catcher.
At issue for Herrera – who underwent arthroscopic surgeryto remove loose bodies from his right elbow – is the strength of his throwingarm. Herrera's throws to second base average just 77.2 mph, which ranks 56thin MLB, per Baseball Savant.
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As for Crooks, the Cardinals' Minor League Player of theYear in 2024, he has yet to throw out a runner in six tries this season. Crooks'throws to second base have been clocked at 82.3 mph on average, per BaseballSavant.
Herrera hasn't committed an error, has staff's best ERA
Herrera hasn't committed an error, doesn't have a passedball and pitchers have posted a 3.86 ERA when in his 40 games behind the plate.Cardinals' hurlers Crooks have a 4.11 ERA in the 29 games that Crooks hascaught, but the rookie has a throwing error and four passed balls. As for Pagés,he has five errors and three passed balls in 58 gamers.
In his third MLB seasons, Pagés has slashed just.207/.348/.327/.575 with four homers and 11 RBI in 60 games. Last season, hesmashed 15 doubles and 11 homers in 112 games, but he struck out 107 timescompared to just 19 walks while hitting at the bottom of the order.
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Cards Drop Below .500 for First Time in @026 After Ugly Loss to Cubs
Another reason why the Cardinals might consider trading Pagés,Herrera or Crooks: Two of their top five prospects in the Minor Leagues arecatchers.
Rainiel Rodriguez, the second-youngest position player inDouble-A at 19 years old, is the top-rated prospect in the organization and No.12 in MLB. The 5-foot-10, 197-pound Rodriguez is hitting .273 with an .817 OPS with11 doubles, nine homers and 31 RBI in 53 games at Double-A Springfield.
Leonardo Bernal, 22, is a native of Panama City, Panama –just like Herrera. The No. 5-ranked prospect in the system has 13 homers, 17doubles and 61 RBI in 79 games with Triple-A Memphis this season.
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Rodriguez has seven errors and two passed balls and he'sthrown out 26.6 percent of base stealers in Double-A. Bernal has nine errorsbehind the plate and four passed balls and he's thrown out just 24.6 percent ofbase stealers.
