St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs Discussed Dioner Navarro

Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

With Yadier Molina landing on the DL and a desire to upgrade their options behind the plate, the St. Louis Cardinals reportedly had discussions leading up to the trade deadline centered around Chicago Cubs catcher Dioner Navarro. Chicago’s asking price was high considering St. Louis is their division rival and the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a price before 4:00 PM EST.

Navarro has hit .294/.370/.510 in 162 PA on the year, strong numbers despite the limited playing time. His 9 HR already match a career high.

While he’s had a solid year with the Cubs, Navarro has hardly been known as much of an offensive threat over the course of his 10 year career. He’s just a .248/.311/.367 hitter in his career and has finished the season with a batting average below .220 in each of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons. Much of his value has been tied into his defensive abilities. He won’t win any Gold Gloves behind the plate, but he’s been reliable enough to continue drawing interest on the open market as he’s been a serviceable backup with five organizations throughout his career.

St. Louis’ interest in adding to their catching depth due to Molina’s injury is certainly understandable, but the team was right not to part with any substantial for a short term upgrade.