Cardinals just made one Reds trade temptation impossible to ignore

He's not the most popular Cincinnati Reds player on the trade block, but longtime catcher Tyler Stephenson might be playing his final weekend with the team. At the very least, his rental status and lack of an extension likely affirms that 2026 will be the final season he spends in the Queen City.

If that future comes to pass, the Reds will be facing a catching shortage. Jose Trevino can hold down the fort for a few months down the stretch, but he's well beyond his starter days. Will Banfield, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, looks destined to be a third-stringer throughout his career. Fellow Triple-A backstop P.J. Higgins is in the same boat.

Alfredo Duno is one of the best catching prospects in baseball, but he's got less than 100 plate appearances of experience at Double-A. If everything breaks right in his development, maybe he could push for a late-2027 call-up, but Opening Day in 2028 is a more realistic timeline for a player who is so important to the organization's future.

Thus, the Reds need a starting catcher to replace Stephenson for at least next season. Instead of waiting until the offseason to address that hole, could they strike a trade deadline deal with a division rival with an eye toward the future?

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most impressive catching pipelines in the league. Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés, and Jimmy Crooks are all on their active roster, with Leo Bernal also sitting on the 40-man roster at Triple-A. That doesn't even include superstar prospect Rainiel Rodriguez, though he'd be superfluous alongside Duno.

Because of all that depth, the Redbirds are widely expected to trade at least one of their catchers before the trade deadline. On the surface, a trade with the Reds makes sense, but it gets harder to justify this swap when you dive into the logistics.

Reds must avoid paying division rival surcharge for Cardinals' catching depth at trade deadline

All of the Cardinals' catchers are under team control through at least 2029, which means that they won't be a simple stopgap option until Duno is ready. That's not a deal-breaker on its own — Duno is too good to be "blocked" at any level — but it will raise the price on those catchers to uncomfortable levels on the trade market.

Just look at what the San Diego Padres surrendered for a 30-year-old career backup in Freddy Fermin last year — controllable catching is a premium asset, and that's before we factor in any intra-division tax the Cardinals would charge the Reds for one of their backstops.

Giving up a top prospect or young arm to a division rival is hardly ever advisable, and that's the bare minimum that Nick Krall would have to surrender in order to acquire someone like Herrera this summer.

It's fair to say that the front office should leave no stone unturned in their quest for a Stephenson replacement, but a blockbuster with the Cardinals is a more desperate maneuver than the moment calls for.

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