The big story of the offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals has been all of the guys who could end up being traded by the organization.
You know the names by now. Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan, and others have been consistently discussed as trade chips. But, what about the guys who could end up sticking around? Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was asked this very question and noted that Masyn Winn isn’t the only guy the Cardinals don’t want to trade.
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“Winn is not alone,” Goold said when asked if Winn is the only guy not available. “The Cardinals are not eager to trade (Matthew Liberatore), (Iván Herrera), (Victor Scott), (JJ Wetherholt), (Pedro Pagés), (Alec Burleson), (Kyle Leahy), (Riley O’Brien) … They’re open for business and interested in talking trade. They aren’t trying to clear the shelves of talent.”
The Cardinals aren’t looking to move everyone
Aug 26, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Of the nine players mentioned by Goold, the guy who arguably is the biggest surprise is Pagés. The Cardinals are loaded at catcher right now. In the big leagues alone, the Cardinals had Pagés, Herrera, Jimmy Crooks, and Yohel Pozo all get time in 2025. That’s in part because Herrera got hurt and transitioned out of the position for most of the season.
But, the expectation is that Herrera will be back behind the plate in 2026. Plus, the Cardinals have two more top prospects working their way through the minors right now in No. 3 prospect Rainiel Rodriguez and No. 4 prospect Leonardo Bernal. Bernal was just added to the 40-man roster on Tuesday.
Crooks is the No. 6 prospect for the organization. All of this is to say, that there is a lot of catching talent on the team right now so it’s surprising that the club may not want to trade out of the logjam.
None of the other names comes as a shock, really. It’s interesting that Jordan Walker’s name wasn’t mentioned, but that doesn’t mean the club is actively looking to make a move.
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