Cardinals' Back-up Catcher Could be Dangled in Trades Before '27 Season

Growth, as St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol pointed out repeatedly over the final month of the 2026 season, can be measured in a variety of ways.

One way, of course, is the standings – an area where the Cardinals fell back a win from 2025 (78-84) to 2026 (77-85), one that was somewhat expected with the widespread youth on the roster and the club selling off veteran pitchers JoJo Romero and Dustin May for prospects at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Instead, the Cardinals tried to evaluate areas of growth in non-traditional ways in a non-traditional season in St. Louis.

Growth was having a defined core group of players – Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Riley O’Brien – take major steps in their games and evolve into building blocks.

Growth was seeing Leo Bernal, Joshua Baez, Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe and Nathan Church live up to the hype that followed them from the Minor Leagues and show signs they can be depended on going forward.

Growth was Andre Pallante and Gordon Graceffo shaking off the struggles of 2025 and showing the fortitude to change the trajectory of their careers.

“This is a really young group, but there’s been a lot of progress with so many of these guys,” Marmol said. “You can go up and down the lineup and you see growth from so many of our guys. Then, go to the rotation and what McGreevy, Pallante and Leahy did this season, and the bullpen as well. Our staff has really enjoyed pouring into that group. They are hungry for information and they want to be coaches, so that’s made it a lot of fun.”

However, as president of baseball operation Chaim Bloom reminds, the Cardinals still have major gulfs between them and MLB’s top teams. The National League champion Brewers, after all, finished 26 games ahead of St. Louis and battered the Cards in 11 of 13 head-to-head meetings. Much more growth is needed for the Cards to better navigate the difference the rebuilding and contending.

With growth being the focus, let’s look back at the performances by individual players in the 2026 season and how they will figure into the Cards’ plans going forward in 2027 and beyond:

Player name: Jimmy Crooks

Age: 25

How acquired: Drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round (No. 127 overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft

2026 statistics: MLB – 52 games, .179/.255/.336/.591, 10 runs, 24 hits, six doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI, 48 strikeouts, nine walks. Triple-A Memphis – 52 games, .300/.432/.574/1.006, 46 runs, 57 hits, seven doubles, 15 homers, 38 RBI, 67 strikeouts, 39 walks.

Key numbers: After getting sent back to Triple-A on Aug. 31, Crooks hit .408 with two homers, three doubles and nine RBI. Then, in three playoff games of the International League Championship Series, Crooks went 5 for 10 with two home runs, seven RBI, two walks and a stolen base. In the must-win Game 2 of the series, Crooks went 2 for 3 with a home run and five RBI.  

Looking back to 2026: Crooks had a great start and a great finish in Triple-A Memphis, but he once again struggled at the MLB level. While he hit .300 with 15 homers and 38 doubles in 52 at Memphis, he hit just .179 with five homers and 14 RBI in 52 games in the big leagues. To ever stick at the MLB level, Crooks must find an answer to the swing-and-miss issues that have plagued him. He struck out at a 25.8 percent clip this past season at Memphis, but he has racked up high strikeout rates in 2026 (34.2 percent) and 2025 (37 percent). Defensively, he has gotten high marks for framing (plus-4) and pop time (1.90 seconds), but he struggled blocking balls (minus-6 Blocks Above Average) and threw out just one of 11 base stealers in his two months with the Cardinals this season. His arm strength measured at 82.7 mph – in between Ivan Herrera’s 76.6 mph and that of Leo Bernal’s 85.8 mph.   

Looking forward to 2027: With his left-handed bat, sneaky power and his strong game prep skills, the Cardinals would love for Crooks to take over the back-up catching duties behind rookie catcher Leo Bernal. However, he must figure out ways to make more contact and get on base more often. The way Crooks finished the season strong in Memphis after getting demoted was a positive sign and the Cardinals need to see more of that against big-league pitching. Hitting the ball well and throwing out runners in Spring Training could go a long way toward Crooks making the Opening Day roster. However, because of the emergence of Bernal and upcoming arrival of top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez, the Cardinals could dangle Jimmy Crooks on the trade market to see what he could fetch in return. A fresh start with a new organization in need of catching might be the best thing to happen for the 25-year-old Crooks.