3 teams that should trade for Gary Sanchez

Predicated on losing Yadier Molina, which seems very possible as multiple other teams emerge as suitors and he seeks a two-year deal, the Cardinals could be looking for a catcher fairly quickly. Backup Matt Wieters is also a free agent, though he could brought back.

Andrew Knizner has gotten a little run with the Cardinals over the last two seasons (26 games, 75 plate appearances). He’s a .303 career hitter in the minors, but he’s obviously been blocked by Molina and is starting to get a little bit on in age to be regarded as any sort of highly-touted prospect (25). A longer-term successor for Molina, Ivan Herrera, is 20 years old and has not played above High-A. Losing a 2020 minor league campaign that would have likely seen him in Double-A wasn’t helpful in his development. Going into 2020, MLB.com ranked Herrera as St. Louis’ No. 4 prospect with a big league ETA of 2022.

Sanchez comes with cost control for the next two seasons. The Cardinals are likely to be fairly careful with payroll coming off a season without fans in Busch Stadium, and there’s obvious doubt about that changing in 2021. Even if he’s only a short-term acquisition before he hits free agency and cashes in, Sanchez is a nice option to fill the gap between Molina and Herrera.