It’s no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals have struggled in 2025. Question marks surrounding John Mozeliak, Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals’ young core have run rampant throughout the season. Heading into 2026, a trade for this star could clear the Cardinals’ logjam at catcher and give them a franchise cornerstone under new general manager Chaim Bloom.
So far in 2025, the Cardinals have started plenty of different names at catcher, including Jimmy Crooks, who debuted for the team last night. In addition to Crooks, Pedro Pages, Yohel Pozo and Iván Herrera have spent time behind the plate for St. Louis this season. Not to mention Willson Contreras, who was originally signed to replace Yadier Molina at catcher but has since permanently moved to first base.
Current Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman may be the new answer for the Redbirds behind the plate. After extending catching prospect Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million deal last week, Rutschman — once seen as their catcher of the future — may have just become expendable.
Although his numbers so far in 2025 have left a lot to be desired, there is still reason to believe he can return to form. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, he combined for 9.7 WAR, 33 home runs and 122 RBIs — an impressive output for a catcher. Rutschman also finished ninth in MVP voting during the 2023 season and won a Silver Slugger award. For the Cardinals, a struggling team looking to the future, Rutschman would be a fantastic addition to a young core headlined by Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn.