The St. Louis Cardinals made waves in MLB circles again this weekend. Less than 24 hours after deciding not to tender a contract for catcher Yohel Pozo, the team was revealed by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they were looking to re-sign the same player who had just dropped out of the free agency market. A surprising “starter turn” — or perhaps a strategically calculated move from the start?
When the Cardinals announced they were not tendering Pozo a contract, many fans believed his plans in St. Louis were back on track. But it turns out the door was only open for more.
According to Goold, the Cardinals are looking to bring Pozo back through a different agreement—one that’s more flexible, roster-optimized, and perhaps more aligned with the organization’s direction. The move immediately created mixed sentiment: Are the Cardinals “going dark” with a subtle financial-personnel strategy? Or are they genuinely worried about catching depth?
What makes this benefit worth watching is the direct connection to Ivan Herrera, the young catcher who is expected to be a mainstay of the future. But the Cardinals are still “warming” about Herrera’s availability in a starting role.
Goold said keeping Pozo—even if initially via non-tendering—would give the Cardinals more important depth when evaluating Herrera:
Does he have the real ability to carry the starting workload?
Can he mesh well with the new group of pitchers?
Has he moved past the potential stage into the stable strategic execution stage?
If the answer is not a sure thing, a reserve catcher with offensive experience like Pozo would be the “golden patch”.
While not a big name, Pozo brings a skill set that the Cardinals clearly point out:
Better-than-average hitting ability for a catcher.
Versatility in rotating DH/temporary positions in other games.
Locker room stability, the Cardinals’ capital condition is highly valued in the organizational culture.
The issue is only reasonable: by using non-tendering, the team has opened up the opportunity to regenerate at a lower salary level, reducing payroll pressure and creating more flexibility to make larger trades in the winter.
The Cardinals are in the midst of overhauling their pitching staff, while also adding energy to compete more strongly in the NL Central. Keeping a catcher like Pozo on the cheap is smart, especially when every winter performance counts.
If the Cardinals sign him, they get:
Herrera: young talent on the rise
The other way around: catcher/slugger, but often weighted down defensively
Pozo: insurance, reliable, and not a financial burden
It’s a catcher-room structure that many teams would envy.
The Pozo situation may be just a small detail in the Cardinals’ dramatic offseason, but sometimes it’s the small pieces that reveal the grand scheme.
The Cardinals opened the door for Pozo to leave — now they’re opening the door for him to return.
Yohel Pozo — seemingly off the map — is at the center of a dramatic turnaround in St. Louis.
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