St. Louis Cardinals: Time to trade Carson Kelly
By David Hill
The St. Louis Cardinals have expected Carson Kelly to be their catcher of the future. Can the future really wait for another three years?
At some point in time, St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina will face the end of his career. At 35 years old, and with his heavy workload behind the plate, his time was expected to come soon. Even though the Cardinals had signed him to an extension, it was expected that Molina would eventually make room for Carson Kelly, one of the top catching prospects in the game.
The Cardinals now have a time frame as to when they can expect Molina to move on, as he has announced his retirement. In 2020, when his current extension is up. That would be another three years, when the anticipated catcher of the future, Kelly, would already be 26 years old. While that is still relatively young for a catcher, is it really worth waiting that long before he can become a regular in the lineup?
Instead, now that the Cardinals have a degree of certainty with Molina, there is another option. Top catching prospects are a hot commodity, especially for teams looking to rebuild. Meanwhile, even though St. Louis is expecting to contend in the upcoming season, their roster has several holes, especially in the back end of the bullpen and at the corners of the infield.
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A player like Kelly may well be able to bring in those needed pieces. Despite a mediocre .171/.236/.220 batting line in his limited major league action, he is still viewed as one of the better prospects in the game. Kelly was a consensus top 100 prospect in 2017, and has made solid strides offensively over the past two years in the minors.
His 2017 campaign for the Memphis Redbirds may be a sign of the type of player that Kelly will be in the majors. He produced a solid .283/.375/.459 batting line, hitting a career best ten homers in his 280 plate appearances. Kelly also displayed excellent contact skills, striking out only 40 times while drawing 33 walks.
With his strong arm and excellent defensive ability, the Cardinals may well have another Molina in the fold. His offensive production could end up relatively similar as well, making Kelly a potential franchise catcher. The problem is, for a team looking to win now, Kelly is a luxury that could be used to fix those other holes on the roster.
Take, for example, a team like the Tampa Bay Rays. Throughout franchise history, they have been unable to develop a viable major league catcher. The Rays are also looking to slash payroll, and are in the midst of another rebuild. A piece like Kelly could be enough to bring in Alex Colome, a closer that St. Louis could use, and a piece like Brad Miller, to help provide needed depth. Other moving parts would likely be added in this hypothetical, but Kelly is the type of player that would bring back a significant return.
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The St. Louis Cardinals still need help. With Yadier Molina having a three year timeline, it makes sense to part ways with Carson Kelly to bring in those needed pieces.