Aug 20, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo (63) reaches first base on a passed ball in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Cardinals May Have Found Solution to Catching Logjam

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Feb 25, 2026 10:00 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have entered a rebuild. They traded away all of their star players and brought back several young and exciting prospects. However, they still have a lot of catchers in their mix and not enough places to put them.

They want Ivan Herrera to do some catching this year, but Pedro Pages, Yohel Pozo, Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal are also options.

Fortunately, some of their catchers have proven to be very versatile, especially Pozo. The veteran backstop played a little first base on Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals, and Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat believes that using Pozo at first base some could alleviate the logjam of catch

What can Cardinals do at catcher, first base?

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"Until they signed Ramón Urías to a free-agent deal over the weekend, Pozo was the closest thing to a backup righty first baseman on the roster, acting as a supplement to Alec Burleson," Jones wrote.

"Having a glut of talent at a position as valuable as catcher is typically an exciting value proposition, but the Cardinals are in a competitive spot where they’re acquiring talent, not shedding it. Eventually hard decisions will have to be made among that group, and any of the non-Pagés contingent could find themselves shifted to another position or another organization as a result."

The Cardinals already have Burleson as their starting first baseman, but Pozo has put in a lot of work this offseason, and if the Cardinals want to have his bat on the roster, then it makes sense for them to use him at first base.

It's also not out of the realm of possibility that Ivan Herrera could play there some as well. But having Herrera as a designated hitter and Pozo as a backup first base option would leave the Cardinals with two catchers, Pedro Pages and Jimmy Crooks.

This allows them to give Crooks a spot on the Opening Day roster and take reps as the team's backup catcher while Pages receives the majority of the looks behind the plate. But having Pozo's bat, in any form helps the Cardinals, even if he is not catching regularly.

Of the catchers in the organization, Pozo makes the most sense as somebody who could play first base. He could give Burleson an occasional day off, but that also allows the Cardinals to be a little more flexible with how they put together their roster for 2026.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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