They may still make another move to add catching help following news that Yadier Molina will be out 8-12 weeks with a torn thumb ligament, but in the meantime the Cardinals have claimed veteran catcher George Kottaras off waivers from the Indians.
Kottaras has low batting averages and struggles to throw out base-stealers, but his combination of power and plate discipline is elite among catchers and his career .741 OPS is well above average for the position.
He’s never topped 250 plate appearances in a season, so at age 31 he’s unlikely to thrive as a regular, but the Cardinals should be able to get decent production from Kottaras playing him a few times per week. He’s topped a .700 OPS every season since 2010, posting a combined .330 on-base percentage and .420 slugging percentage during that time.