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Interesting you mention Herrera. Many have him as future all star. I think he would be a very interesting trade piece or a component to a multiple player trade.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 09:39 am In particular catcher?
Pages and Pozos (limited if anything)
Hererra (some desperate team potentially giving him a chance as secondary catcher who can hit at DH and potentially other positions)
Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez.
There are a lot of catchers at the top. Obviously a critical position so you want to hold onto 1-2 but I would think moving a controlled highly touted catching prospect (if done correctly), could fetch you a player of similar upside that fills a position of need.
There you have it. All of this.Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 09:54 amYou rightly list 6 catchers presently. When I think about the catchers beyond this year, I don't think of Herrera and Rodriguez as catchers. I think they will change positions. I don't worry about Pozo in the mix. He's great to have as depth. If we have 2 ML catchers and he is at AAA, I would be really glad to have him on the big league roster in case of injury.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 09:39 am In particular catcher?
Pages and Pozos (limited if anything)
Hererra (some desperate team potentially giving him a chance as secondary catcher who can hit at DH and potentially other positions)
Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez.
There are a lot of catchers at the top. Obviously a critical position so you want to hold onto 1-2 but I would think moving a controlled highly touted catching prospect (if done correctly), could fetch you a player of similar upside that fills a position of need.
I see Bernal as the catcher of the future whenever he is ready.
So the two I see as possible trade pieces are Pages and Crooks. They have about the same trade value, but teams may have a preference based on experience, or handedness with the bat. It seems one of these two could/should be traded.
"Which one will become an everyday or even star catcher and which will fail? If you trade the wrong one ouch."AZ_Cardsfan wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 15:00 pm Problem is - which one? Which one will become an everyday or even star catcher and which will fail? If you trade the wrong one ouch.
Pozo and Pages are not big trade chips. Herrera is but not as a catcher.
IMO of the 3 prospects we have likely one will pan out.
Good question.AZ_Cardsfan wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 15:00 pm Problem is - which one? Which one will become an everyday or even star catcher and which will fail? If you trade the wrong one ouch.
Pozo and Pages are not big trade chips. Herrera is but not as a catcher.
IMO of the 3 prospects we have likely one will pan out.
Voice of reasoncraviduce wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 15:47 pm there's not really a surplus. Crooks is the only one of consequence at the Major League level. Bernal is a year behind him, having not seen AAA yet. Rodriguez is 2-3 seasons behind Crooks, and not in Bernal's league defensively.
Also, and this gets overlooked, you want your defensively capable catcher with your best crop of minor league pitchers. Thankfully, this lines up perfectly for Bernal...he gets to catch Mathews, Henderson, Mautz, and possibly Doyle....those pitchers should have a great receiver....not a bunch of minor league rejects behind the plate.
There's not really a road block or clog at catcher until 2027.
The MLB pitching staff loves pitching to Pedro...I'd rather go with Pedro and Crooks in 2026, then trade Crooks in the next offseason and go with Bernal and Pages in 2027. Maybe Crooks starts to hit well....great, then move Burleson in a trade and make Crooks your 1B in 2027. You can't have both Crooks and Bernal as your catchers...They will both hit LH in the majors, slight chance that Bernal continues as a SH, but LH is his best....that makes Bernal and Crooks redundant.
.......anyways, that's my two cents....there's no surplus/backlog...or at least there's no rational reason to move one of those two at this moment. Our pitching future is too important. Don't F with that.
=---------
Edit ~ in fact...I would trade for another catcher we can put in AA. The Campos/Kross experiment has been a disaster so far. We need quality catching at Springfield with Doyle, Lin, Rincon, Savacool, Franklin, Clarke, etc.
As much as a like Adkison and Tarlow...they're not proven starting material.
But we were supposed to have vastly improved prospect evaluation capabilities, so maybe they could’ve figured that out by now?CorneliusWolfe wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 10:05 amAgreed. At this point it doesn’t seem clear who is actually the best anyway, and it is critical we correctly identify and keep the best for ourselves.
I don’t think Pages is even in the running for the best of the catchers. Maybe he’s the leading candidate to be the backup to whoever that guy is, since he’s not particularly good, or terrible, at anything, and seems to stay healthy.Carp4Cy wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 16:09 pmBut we were supposed to have vastly improved prospect evaluation capabilities, so maybe they could’ve figured that out by now?CorneliusWolfe wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 10:05 amAgreed. At this point it doesn’t seem clear who is actually the best anyway, and it is critical we correctly identify and keep the best for ourselves.
Pages isn’t going to be the next Yadi at any rate. Although he also probably doesn’t have much trade value.
Who is to say they haven't figured it out by now and decided who they will go with long term?Carp4Cy wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 16:09 pmBut we were supposed to have vastly improved prospect evaluation capabilities, so maybe they could’ve figured that out by now?CorneliusWolfe wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 10:05 amAgreed. At this point it doesn’t seem clear who is actually the best anyway, and it is critical we correctly identify and keep the best for ourselves.
Pages isn’t going to be the next Yadi at any rate. Although he also probably doesn’t have much trade value.
I agree. Everyone wants to move dead weight / vets but that too me is silly making that your priority. They should be focusing on talent acquisition at all cost first focusing on the players who have service time accrued and value. Not a lot but there are some including Herrera. He could bring you back a nice prospect (hopefully a bat and not more pitching)Jatalk wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 15:19 pmInteresting you mention Herrera. Many have him as future all star. I think he would be a very interesting trade piece or a component to a multiple player trade.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 09:39 am In particular catcher?
Pages and Pozos (limited if anything)
Hererra (some desperate team potentially giving him a chance as secondary catcher who can hit at DH and potentially other positions)
Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez.
There are a lot of catchers at the top. Obviously a critical position so you want to hold onto 1-2 but I would think moving a controlled highly touted catching prospect (if done correctly), could fetch you a player of similar upside that fills a position of need.
You don't have to trade Herrera for a bat. He is the bat you hope to acquire.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 16:46 pmI agree. Everyone wants to move dead weight / vets but that too me is silly making that your priority. They should be focusing on talent acquisition at all cost first focusing on the players who have service time accrued and value. Not a lot but there are some including Herrera. He could bring you back a nice prospect (hopefully a bat and not more pitching)Jatalk wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 15:19 pmInteresting you mention Herrera. Many have him as future all star. I think he would be a very interesting trade piece or a component to a multiple player trade.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 09:39 am In particular catcher?
Pages and Pozos (limited if anything)
Hererra (some desperate team potentially giving him a chance as secondary catcher who can hit at DH and potentially other positions)
Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez.
There are a lot of catchers at the top. Obviously a critical position so you want to hold onto 1-2 but I would think moving a controlled highly touted catching prospect (if done correctly), could fetch you a player of similar upside that fills a position of need.
Don’t you want a player who fields a position and hits? Besides he’s 26 and has quite a bit of service time already.Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 16:49 pmYou don't have to trade Herrera for a bat. He is the bat you hope to acquire.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 16:46 pmI agree. Everyone wants to move dead weight / vets but that too me is silly making that your priority. They should be focusing on talent acquisition at all cost first focusing on the players who have service time accrued and value. Not a lot but there are some including Herrera. He could bring you back a nice prospect (hopefully a bat and not more pitching)Jatalk wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 15:19 pmInteresting you mention Herrera. Many have him as future all star. I think he would be a very interesting trade piece or a component to a multiple player trade.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 09:39 am In particular catcher?
Pages and Pozos (limited if anything)
Hererra (some desperate team potentially giving him a chance as secondary catcher who can hit at DH and potentially other positions)
Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez.
There are a lot of catchers at the top. Obviously a critical position so you want to hold onto 1-2 but I would think moving a controlled highly touted catching prospect (if done correctly), could fetch you a player of similar upside that fills a position of need.
Isn’t that what good orgs do? Beat teams to the punch and flip players? They have needs (gaping holes) that need to be addressed. Most of their top players are years away. Why fight it the timing isn’t there.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑28 Dec 2025 16:52 pm I think it's a little early to be talking about surplus catchers.